SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors star Jimmy Butler’s status is still up in the air for tonight’s Game 3 of Golden State’s first-round series with the visiting Rockets.
“He’ll try to get some work done downstairs, and see if he can go,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Saturday afternoon in his pregame press conference about two hours before tipoff (5:30 p.m. PT, ABC).
Butler could miss time after suffering a bruised pelvis during the first quarter of Game 2 in Houston on Wednesday night. Butler landed on his back after being undercut by Rockets guard Amen Thompson while grabbing a rebound.
Kerr previously said he and the Warriors’ coaching staff didn’t believe there was any ill intent by Thompson, who squeezed between Draymond Green and Houston’s Steven Adams, stumbling into the legs of an airborne Butler.
An MRI on Thursday showed neither a fracture nor structural damage, and Kerr said on Friday that he was “relatively optimistic” that Butler would be able to go on Saturday at Chase Center.
Steph Curry also suffered a pelvic contusion late in the regular season. The point guard missed two games in March, and has worn protective equipment since returning.
It has been a chippy series through two games, with Game 2 featuring a flagrant foul and six technical fouls handed out between the teams.
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Draymond Green was the subject of vulgar chants, and Rockets forward Dillon Brooks called Green a “dirty player” on Friday.
In that kind of environment, Butler, who has played like a superstar since arriving in an early-February trade, is key to the Warriors’ success. His ability to drive and finish at the rim gives Golden State more flexibility on offense.
Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in 30 regular-season starts following his trade from Miami. The Golden State defense was tops in the league during that stretch in defensive rating (109.0).
During the play-in game against Memphis, Butler lived up to his “Playoff Jimmy” nickname by scoring 38 points, and then put up a 25-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, five-steal performance in the Warriors’ Game 1 victory in Houston.
