Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler is questionable for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, after suffering a deep glute and pelvic contusion in Game 2. The injury occurred in the first quarter of Wednesday’s 109-94 loss, when Jimmy was undercut mid-air by Houston’s Amen Thompson while fighting for a rebound.
An MRI on Thursday confirmed there was no fracture or structural damage – a huge relief for the Warriors – but Jimmy remains day-to-day. Speaking at Friday’s practice, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said there’s ‘a chance’ Jimmy Butler could suit up on Saturday, describing the situation as a pain-tolerance issue.
Steve Kerr ‘relatively optimistic’ as Warriors weigh up Jimmy’s availability for crucial clash against Houston
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“I’m relatively optimistic,” Steve told reporters. “Jimmy is Jimmy – he’s willing to play through anything. But we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Jimmy was at practice, but did not participate in drills, instead working on the side while the coaching staff prepped two different rotations – one with him, one without. The timing of the injury is brutal for Golden State. The Warriors are already grappling with Houston’s aggressive, physical defence, and Butler has been one of the few players capable of absorbing contact and creating space. Without him, the offensive burden falls almost entirely on Stephen Curry, who’s been dealing with double and triple teams all series.
Stephen himself suffered a similar fall in March, missing two games. Steve noted that Jimmy’s injury is ‘very similar’, reinforcing that it’s less about structural damage and more about pain management. With Game 4 looming on Monday, every hour of rest matters. If Jimmy sits out Game 3 – or worse, misses multiple games – Golden State could find themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of.