Golden State’s momentum took a painful hit on Wednesday night as Jimmy Butler suffered a pelvic contusion in the first quarter of their 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 2.
Butler’s injury came after a heavy fall late in the opening quarter, following a mid-air collision with Rockets guard Amen Thompson. The Warriors star immediately grimaced in pain after landing hard on his tailbone and was forced to exit just minutes later. Although he briefly stayed in the game to shoot free throws, he was clearly limited and asked to be subbed out with under two minutes left in the quarter.
He was later ruled out with a pelvis contusion and will undergo an MRI on Thursday. The 34-year-old’s absence looms large for Golden State, especially given his pivotal 25-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist, 5-steal performance in Game 1. Since his debut in February, the Warriors have gone 25-8 with him in the lineup, making his availability vital for their playoff push.
Golden State were also hampered by a brief absence from starting guard Brandin Podziemski, who was battling illness and played only 14 minutes, finishing scoreless. Coach Steve Kerr was forced to dig deep into his bench, handing rare minutes to Jonathan Kuminga and Pat Spencer.
With the series now tied 1-1, all eyes turn to San Francisco for a pivotal Game 3 on Saturday.
