Warriors' Jimmy Butler Leaves Game 2 with Pelvis Injury; Impact on Team

HOUSTON — Golden State Warriors’ standout Jimmy Butler took a frightening tumble late in the first quarter, resulting in a pelvis contusion that sidelined him from Game 2 against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

The team has announced that Butler will undergo an MRI on Thursday to assess the extent of his injury.

The incident occurred as Butler was attempting to secure a defensive rebound following a missed shot by Amen Thompson. During the play, Thompson collided with Butler, sending him crashing painfully onto his lower back. Butler appeared to be in immediate distress. Thompson, who had been tussling with Draymond Green before the collision, was momentarily down but soon recovered and got back on his feet.

Butler initially stayed in the game, managing to sink one of two free throw attempts before signaling to exit with just 1:51 left in the first quarter as his movement was visibly restricted.

He gingerly returned to the locker room, and the Warriors declared him out for the remainder of the game during the second quarter.

Losing Butler for any length of time could be a significant setback for Golden State. Prior to Game 2, the Warriors boasted an impressive 25-8 record (including regular-season, play-in, and postseason matchups) since Butler joined them on February 8 in Chicago.

His dominant performance in Game 1 helped the Warriors clinch a win in Houston on Sunday, where he tallied 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

In Wednesday’s game, Butler had logged eight minutes before his exit, contributing three points and two rebounds.

Additionally, starting guard Brandin Podziemski only played eight minutes during the first half owing to an illness, reportedly caused by something he ate, according to coach Steve Kerr. Despite being listed as questionable for return initially, Podziemski did come back in the third quarter. In his absence, Kerr turned to Jonathan Kuminga, who hadn’t played since the regular-season finale against the LA Clippers, and also gave a rarely-seen point guard, Pat Spencer, some court time in the second quarter.