The Golden State Warriors’ playoff momentum came to a screeching halt Wednesday night, as star forward Jimmy Butler suffered a painful pelvic contusion in the first quarter of their 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets. The injury occurred after a hard collision with Rockets’ rookie Amen Thompson, who was pushed into Butler mid-air as both went up for a rebound.
Butler hit the floor hard and stayed down, drawing a hush from the Chase Center crowd. Though he managed to get up and sink one of two free throws, the pain was too much—he exited the game moments later and headed straight to the locker room.
Now, his status for Game 3 on Saturday is up in the air. He’s scheduled for an MRI on Thursday to assess the extent of the damage.
“We’re hoping Jimmy can suit up,” head coach Steve Kerr said postgame. “But if not, we’ve got to regroup and come up with a new game plan.”
Golden State’s record without Butler isn’t reassuring—the team has won just 48.1% of games in his absence, according to ESPN.
Kerr didn’t place blame on Thompson, calling the incident “just one of those plays” rather than anything malicious.
Before going down, Butler had tallied three points and two boards. His Game 1 performance was a different story: 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in a strong Warriors win.
“Jimmy always says he’ll be fine,” Kerr added. “But we’ll have to wait and see what the MRI tells us.”
The game also saw guard Brandin Podziemski miss most of the first half due to a stomach illness. He returned in the third quarter after receiving an IV at halftime—an issue Kerr chalked up to something the rookie ate before tip-off.
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