On Thursday, ESPN’s Shams Charania gave an update on Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors ahead of Game 3 in their best-of-seven series against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. In Game 2, the six-time All-Star had a terrible fall in the first quarter, which sent him back to the locker room. Butler didn’t return to the game, and the Warriors had a 109-94 loss.
Ahead of Game 3, Charania reported that Butler’s status is in “serious jeopardy.” According to the ESPN reporter, the former Miami Heat star was diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion. The insider explained in his report that the 6-foot-7 forward has the best-case scenario based on the MRI scan, which showed no fracture.
“Golden State’s Jimmy Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy, league sources tell ESPN. This is best case because MRI showed Butler avoided any fracture or structural damage,” Charania reported on X (formerly Twitter).
Golden State's Jimmy Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy, league sources tell ESPN. This is best case because MRI showed Butler avoided any fracture or structural damage. pic.twitter.com/nTEjv4QKp7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2025
In Game 2, Butler was limited to three points and played less than eight minutes. For the Warriors, the defensive forward is an important player in their success. He was one of the biggest reasons the team had a great start in the postseason.
He had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Golden State’s Game 1 victory over the Rockets. Defensively, Butler did plenty of damage with his five steals.
For now, all the Golden State Warriors can do is hope for the best to have Butler back as soon as possible.
The Golden State Warriors need Butler to succeed, according to a former NBA star
In the latest episode of Dwyane Wade’s show, “The Timeout,” he and his co-hosts explained the impact of Jimmy Butler on the Golden State Warriors. Wade said that his impact goes beyond scoring, and is enough reason why the Warriors improved after they traded for him.
“His impact on the game, just on the game, bro. You’re talkin about a guy who don’t say nothing to the refs, you don’t hear, you don’t head Jimmy mouth really, you know, unless you get a microphone and he didn’t cut scne and said something to somebody,” Wade said (50:30).
Wade said that Butler’s unselfishness is what makes him impactful. The three-time champion highlighted the team-oriented mentality that his former teammate has.
“He doesn’t need the ball all the time to make an impact. He’s going to do it on both ends of the floor and he’s going to do it in celebration of his teammates. This is one of the best versions of Jimmy Butler we’ve seen in the last few years.”
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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.
