Jimmy Butler Awaits MRI Results Following Injury in Second Straight Postseason

For the second consecutive postseason, Golden State Warriors wing Jimmy Butler III is coping with an harm. Initially regarded as a tailbone harm, Butler was identified with a pelvic contusion and did not return to Sport 2 of his staff’s first-round sequence in opposition to the Houston Rockets.

The previous Miami Warmth star, acquired in a blockbuster five-team commerce on Feb. 6, has been every thing the Warriors might’ve hoped for after they pulled the set off on the deal. Golden State entered Wednesday’s playoff sport with a 25-7 document with Butler within the lineup however watched him hit the ground arduous after being run into by Rockets wing Amen Thompson whereas chasing down a rebound with 2:28 left within the first quarter.

Butler hobbled off to the locker room and did not return. The harm is not feared to be as important because the MCL sprain suffered late within the first half of final April’s play-in loss to the Philadelphia 76ers that ultimately ended his 2023-24 season. 

Butler appeared to tweak his proper knee in Philadelphia however stayed in that sport regardless of not feeling 100%. An MRI would later reveal the complete extent of his harm. Simply over 370 days later, he is once more awaiting comparable outcomes. 

Preliminary x-rays confirmed no main injury, however an MRI he is scheduled to bear within the Bay Space on Thursday after staying in Houston with the Warriors in a single day will present extra readability. Teammates Stephen Curry and Draymond Inexperienced have been cautiously optimistic that if he is in a position to play, he’ll be on the market alongside them.

Head coach Steve Kerr, who known as Thompson’s foul “inadvertent,” is hoping for the perfect however ready to regulate if Butler misses video games as a way to get better.

“If Jimmy is out, we have to rethink everything, like rotations, who starts, best combinations and all that stuff,” Kerr mentioned. “This is the playoffs. It’s an incredibly physical sport. Stuff happens, people get injured and it’s all part of it. There’s no time to lament anything. You can feel bad for your player but you have to move on to what’s next. 

“Hopefully, Jimmy will be capable to play, but when he cannot, we have to undergo our choices and put collectively a plan.”

Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Warmth On SI. He might be reached at [email protected]