The Golden State Warriors have been hit with a major concern early in their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Star forward Jimmy Butler suffered a pelvis and deep glute muscle contusion after taking a hard fall during Game 2 on Wednesday. As of Friday, the team has listed him as questionable for Game 3.
Butler underwent an MRI on Thursday, and his status remains uncertain heading into the crucial clash on Saturday.
Steve Kerr Provides Update on Butler's Status
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s practice, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said there's optimism that Butler could suit up.
"There's a chance," Kerr stated regarding Butler’s availability for Game 3.
"I'm relatively optimistic. I mean, Jimmy is Jimmy. We know he's willing to play through anything. So we'll see. This is a day-to-day thing, for sure, and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."
Kerr also noted that the coaching staff is preparing two separate rotations — one with Butler in the lineup and one without. Although Butler was at practice, he was not participating fully and stayed "off to the side," Kerr mentioned.
How the Injury Happened
Butler picked up the injury during the first quarter of the Warriors' 109-94 loss in Houston. While going up for a rebound, he was unintentionally undercut by Amen Thompson, causing him to land awkwardly.
The situation drew comparisons to a recent injury suffered by Stephen Curry in March, where a similar fall sidelined the star guard for two games. Kerr explained that Butler’s issue is "very similar" to Curry's, saying:
"It's a pain-tolerance thing."
Scheduling Break Offers Hope for Warriors
The additional day of rest on the calendar is one that should work in the favor of Golden State. The Warriors are utilizing these extra hours for Butler's recovery, given that the team had two-day intervals to recover in between Games 1 and 2, hoping that even the slightest edge would help punch Butler back into play.
Whether Butler goes out in Game 3 or doubtful and therefore deemed late for Game 4 on Monday, with Butler's absence, the Warriors could run into serious trouble. Quite honestly, Butler's presence will be the much-needed crutch for establishing a somewhat fair series in which the Warriors have contested Houston's physicality on either end of the floor.
Butler's absence
Under the basket before any injury was sustained, Golden State was already feeling the physicality dished out by the Rockets. For the majority of this postseason, officiating has permitted increased physicality, which was even recently commented upon by Minnesota head coach Chris Finch for having, in his words, "gone way too far" and "disrupted the flow" of the games.
Although the Warriors are tough themselves, they just don't have explosive speed to give Houston's pressure 'n' physicality a long arm's length. Butler is one of the few capable of relieving that pressure from Curry, who is double-teamed or triple-teamed most of the time.
In the absence of Butler, Curry's load is made next to impossible. It will always be unwise to count Curry out from putting on a show, but Houston's defense has, without fail, stood strong against any Curry's gallant efforts without their other star.
Warriors’ Best-Case Scenario Hinges on Butler
Golden State's best-case scenario is that Butler not only suits up for Game 3 but also plays big. If that is not the case and the Warriors go 2-1 down in the series, they will be banking on him to come back in Game 4.
Butler's next 24 hours are going to be critical in terms of his recovery, perhaps also for the Warriors' playoff aspirations.