The Golden State Warriors may be without a pair of key players when they take to the floor for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets at Chase Center on Saturday night.
Jimmy Butler's health has stolen the headlines following Game 2, with the 6x All-Star having left the game toward the end of the first-quarter after landing heavily on a rebound attempt.
Jimmy Butler and Gary Payton II are questionable for the Warriors on Saturday
Fortunately Butler's MRI back in the Bay came up with no structural damage, leaving the 35-year-old with a deep glute contusion. To no surprise the Warriors have listed Butler as questionable for Game 3, with head coach Steve Kerr telling Sam Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday that "this is a day-to-day thing for sure and we'll see how he feels tomorrow, but I think there's a chance he plays."
However, Butler isn't the only Golden State veteran facing an injury issue as Gary Payton II has also been listed questionable due to a right shoulder sprain. The 32-year-old seemingly suffered the injury early in the first-quarter when he was tripped up on a drive to the basket, leaving Payton in discomfort and with Steve Kerr irate at officials that there was no foul call.
Kerr and Draymond weren't happy with the refs after no foul was called on this play by GP2 😡 pic.twitter.com/lNlsDr6dvp
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 24, 2025
Payton remained in the game following the incident, yet only played 12 minutes after nearly 16 in the Game 1 victory on Sunday. He went scoreless in Game 2 and recorded just one rebound, one assist and one steal, suggesting he may have been hampered by the shoulder issue.
The news does get a little better for the Warriors in regard to Brandin Podziemski after the second-year guard battled food poisoning on Wednesday. Podziemski tried to fight through the illness but with little impact, having gone stat-less while going 0-of-5 shooting from the floor and being a -11 in his 14 minutes.
Podziemski is now off the injury report for Game 3, suggesting that the 22-year-old should be healthy, back towards his best and capable of playing 30+ minutes on Saturday. Golden State will desperately need Podziemski's production after a solid playoff debut in Game 1 where he had 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in the 95-85 victory.
A number of other players will have to step up if Butler is eventually ruled out for Game 3, with the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post potentially in for larger roles should the Warriors be without their second-best player.