Golden State Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler was injured early in Game 2 of the first round against the Houston Rockets, as he was undercut by Amen Thompson on a rebound and landed hard on his back.
Butler was officially ruled out for the game with a pelvic contusion, and the Warriors ended up losing Game 2 as a result. Now, Houston has evened the series heading into Saturday’s Game 3 in Golden State.
Jimmy Butler is out for the game with a pelvic contusion, per Warriors. https://t.co/nEqjmo7V7y
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 24, 2025
The Butler injury could be a massive blow to the Warriors and their long-term outlook if he’s unable to return in Game 3 or Game 4. Oddsmakers at DraftKings dropped the Warriors to +1900 to win the NBA Finals this season, and they are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fourth-best odds in the league.
After winning Game 1 on Sunday night, Golden State was +1500 to win the Finals, well ahead of Los Angeles in the market. So, the Butler injury — and the loss — has caused a pretty significant hit to Golden State in the futures market.
Since Butler joined the Warriors, they have the best defensive rating in the NBA and completely turned their season around from a fringe playoff team to a title contender. Steve Kerr opted to play Jonathan Kuminga in Butler’s place on Wednesday night, but there is a huge drop off between the two players.
In fact, Kuminga had been out of Golden State’s rotation recently and did not appear in Game 1 of this series.
After the loss, Kerr said that Butler said he is “fine” but the Warriors star will undergo an MRI on the injury prior to Game 3.
MRI expected tomorrow for Jimmy Butler, per source. Warriors have dealt with a couple of these pelvic contusions recently after similar falls from Steph Curry and Jonathan Kuminga. Curry missed two games. Kuminga missed one. Then it became a pain management issue.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 24, 2025
Golden State is currently set as a favorite at home in Game 3, which could be a good sign for Butler’s chances of suiting up.
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