Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler will not return to Game 2 against the Houston Rockets. He suffered a hard fall and has been diagnosed with a pelvic contusion.
Butler suffered the injury late in the first quarter with his team trailing 22-15. Houston’s Amen Thompson attempted a runner in the lane, which Butler went to rebound, but Thompson also chased after his own miss and inadvertently undercut Butler.
The 35-year-old fell backward and hard on his back, immediately wincing in pain on the ground.
Butler was magnificent in Game 1 with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in a 95-85 Warriors victory Sunday night. His absence, however long, would have a significant impact on the outlook of the series.
His next opportunity to return will be Saturday’s Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. EST in San Francisco.
Houston looked better in the first half of Game 2, leading 60-46 at the half.
Jimmy Butler hit the ground hard after being undercut by Amen Thompson 😳 pic.twitter.com/Icd2wBF50U
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 24, 2025
Warriors Trying To Make Do Shorthanded
In addition to the absence of Butler, Brandon Podziemski left the game with an illness and is considered questionable to return.
Without two starters, head coach Steve Kerr has been forced to get creative. At one point in the second quarter, he had a lineup of Pat Spencer, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Quinten Post.
Yes, Kuminga finally made an appearance in the series! Spencer surprisingly leads Golden State in bench scoring at halftime with nine points.
Stephen Curry has been doing his best to keep the Warriors afloat, scoring 11 points and dishing out five assists in the first half.
Houston’s best scorers, Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, have done the heavy lifting so far, combining for 28 points and six assists.
Green is trying to bounce back from a nightmare Game 1, when he finished with seven points on 3-of-15 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. He has 15 points at halftime of Game 2 and is 3-of-8 from deep.
