Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler exited Game 2 against the Houston Rockets after landing hard on his backside and was ruled out of the contest.
Amen Thompson undercut Butler on a rebound attempt with 2:28 left in the first quarter as the Warriors trailed the Rockets 22-15 on Wednesday night in Houston. Butler landed hard on his tailbone and remained down on the court at Toyota Center as he writhed in pain. Thompson was called for a loose ball foul, his third of the first quarter.
Butler was able to get up gingerly and limped his way to the free throw line, where he made one of two before exiting the game with 1:51 remaining in the quarter. He skipped the bench and headed straight to the locker room.
Butler had three points (1-of-2 FG, 1-of-2 FT) in eight minutes of play before leaving the court. He was later ruled out with a pelvis contusion. The team said he will undergo an MRI Thursday.
‘Hopefully, he’s OK,’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ‘We’ll see. … Jimmy always says he’s going to be fine. But we have to wait and see with the MRI.”
Houston went on to win, 109-94.
The Warriors got Butler in a trade with the Miami Heat at the deadline in February. Golden State hoped he would provide scoring and playmaking support for Stephen Curry, plus defensive help, in what could be its last, best run at another NBA title with this group.
Physicality has been a major storyline coming out of the first-round series between the Warriors and Rockets. Kerr was seen complaining about officiating to the referees during Wednesday’s broadcast.
‘Houston is a great defense and a very physical team, so that’s a big part of the equation of this series,’ Kerr said during the second quarter. ‘You have to handle it.’
In response to Butler’s exit, Kerr said ‘we will put Jonathan (Kuminga) in. We know he can play well against these guys and he’ll be able to attack the rim a little bit.’
The series now shifts to San Francisco, tied 1-1.
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(This story has been updated with new information).