For not the first time in recent weeks, the Golden State Warriors are dealing with another pelvic injury after Jimmy Butler took a nasty and scary fall in the first-half of Game 2 against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Wednesday night.
Butler was undercut by Amen Thompson on a rebound late in the first-quarter, exiting shortly after and now unable to return with what the Warriors are calling a pelvic contusion. Needless to say Butler's ability to return in a timely manner is going to be crucial to Golden State's chances of winning the series and potentially advancing to a second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Lakers.
Renowned doctor gives update on Warriors star Jimmy Butler
The 6x All-Star is set to get an MRI back in the Bay on Thursday, with the entire franchise and fanbase now sweating on whether Butler may have a fracture as a result of the hard fall. Renowned sports doctor Brian Sutterer gave his initial thoughts on the injury, suggesting that Butler would likely miss Game 3 even if there's no fracture.
"If we see something about a true fracture in the pelvis, in the sacrum, that is going to be a whole other circumstance and I would suspect a much longer absence," Sutterer said. "We'll hope for the best case scenario. I would not be surprised if we see him miss Game 3, take some additional time and try to come back for Game 4."
Fellow Golden State superstar Stephen Curry missed two games in late March due to a pelvic contusion, having stemmed from a similarly hard fall during the third-quarter of the 117-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors on March 20.
Jonathan Kuminga also missed the April 1 matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies due to a pelvic contusion, before returning to play 25 minutes two days later against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors will have a couple days off before Game 3 back at Chase Center on Saturday, with Butler's injury sure to be the biggest aspect to monitor over the next 48 hours.
Despite a couple of knocks, Butler has been durable since his blockbuster arrival at the Warriors in early February. The veteran forward has missed just one game, coming on March 1 in Philadelphia where Golden State suffered a shock 126-119 defeat.
Butler had 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in the 95-85 Game 1 victory on Sunday, but had just three points and two rebounds in eight minutes before exiting on Wednesday night.