Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler couldn’t stay on the court on Wednesday for Game 2 of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets. The All-Star forward logged less than eight minutes of action and finished with three points. Late in the first quarter, Butler fell hard on the floor and suffered a pelvic contusion after he went after a rebound.
It was a terrible fall, and Butler couldn’t return to the game. His absence resulted in a 109-94 defeat for the Warriors, which tied the series 1-1. The Rockets’ defense was able to focus on point guard Steph Curry, who had 20 points (team-high) in 40 percent shooting from the field.
Without Butler, Golden State didn’t have another defensive wing. This allowed Houston’s Jalen Green to explode to 38 points on a 52 percent shooting clip.
After the game, head coach Steve Kerr talked to the media about Butler’s case.
“Jimmy always says he’s gonna be fine,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We have to wait to see with the MRI.
Slater also asked the Warriors coach about his thoughts on the unfortunate fall that Butler had.
“I haven’t seen the replay. I asked our guys behind the bench, they just said it looked like there was some physicality on the rebound. I think [Amen] Thompson inadvertently found himself underneath Jimmy. Just based on the tug of war that was going on.”
Steve Kerr: “Jimmy always says he’s fine.”
MRI tomorrow
Kerr said their feeling was the Butler fall was an “inadvertent” accident in a jumbled up rebound situation and credited Houston for outplaying them pic.twitter.com/7rc9BMH4nh
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 24, 2025
Kerr said that he doesn’t think it was a dirty play by Thompson. He explained it was just one of the unfortunate plays amid the rough and physical play the postseason demands.
The Golden State Warriors will return to San Francisco to prepare for Game 3 on Saturday. They’ll need Butler back to secure a win over the third-seeded Rockets.
Golden State Warriors forward got playing time after Butler’s injury
The injury to one of the most important players for the Golden State Warriors allowed Kerr to play Jonathan Kuminga. Over the past few games, including the Warriors’ Game 1 win, Kuminga has been on the bench. He hasn’t seen any action for the past three games.
However, with Butler on the injury list, Kerr turned to the young forward to take over. Kuminga saw the floor for the first time this postseason and played 26 minutes. The upcoming restricted free agent was quite rusty and had 11 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
For Game 3, Kuminga could take over for Butler’s spot in the starting lineup. That is, if the Warriors rule out the former Miami Heat forward due to injury.
This season, Kuminga showed signs of improvement. However, he was limited to 47 games and missed 31 straight games because of an ankle injury. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
