Jimmy Butler III questionable for Game 3 with deep glute muscle contusion
Could be better, could be worse.
After a tense day of waiting, we now have some information about Jimmy Butler III. While the rest of the Golden State Warriors spent Wednesday night in Texas following their Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, Butler returned to the Bay Area immediately after the game so that he could have an MRI today. And late Thursday evening, news got out about the MRI’s results.
As first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion. He is being listed as questionable for Game 3 of the first-round series, but Charania worded it a little more severely, saying his status is in “serious jeopardy.”
Butler being a question mark for Saturday’s game is obviously not ideal news, but it’s still good news. Given how seriously he could have been injured, it’s encouraging that Butler has no structural damage, and it seems highly likely that he’ll be back at some point during the series.
Hopefully we’ll learn more on Friday about Butler’s recovery and his status going into the weekend.
Butler was injured in the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss, after he was inadvertently undercut by Amen Thompson while in the air, leading to a scary fall. Butler was in obvious distress before getting up and shooting his free throws, then gingerly walking off the court. In the second quarter, the Warriors officially ruled Butler out for the rest of the game with a pelvic contusion.
Game 3 is Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. PT at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Fingers crossed that Butler will be able to play.