Jimmy Butler could miss Saturday’s Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round playoff series with the Rockets, according to a report Thursday, but his MRI results showed no sign of structural damage or a fracture.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday evening that Butler had a “deep glute muscle contusion” from a fall in Wednesday’s Game 2 and his status for Saturday was in “serious jeopardy”.
The Warriors have not released any information on Butler’s injury since ruling him out of Wednesday’s game late in the first half.
Butler was injured in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s Game 2 in Houston when he went up for a rebound and was undercut by Rockets forward Amen Thompson, who was following his own shot.
Butler landed hard on his backside and remained in the game initially, splitting two free throws, but came out soon after and went to the locker room before the end of the quarter.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he and the Warriors’ coaching staff didn’t think it was a dirty play by Thompson, who squeezed between Draymond Green and Houston’s Steven Adams, stumbling into the legs of an airborne Butler.
“We didn’t think there was anything wrong with the play,” Kerr said. “It was just one of those plays.”
With Butler out, Kerr turned to Jonathan Kuminga, who had not played in the Warriors’ three most important games of the season over the last week and a half.
Kuminga, a pending restricted free agent, finished with 11 points in 26 minutes on 4-of-12 shooting.
The Warriors became a whole new team after acquiring Butler in February, going 23-8 through the rest of the regular season after he arrived, including a loss in the only game he missed.
They have the NBA’s No. 1 defense by points per possession after Butler joined the fold, and he has given them offensive direction during the key minutes when Steph Curry is off the floor.
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