Jimmy Butler's Scary Fall in Game 2 Vs. Houston Rockets Raises Concerns

Jimmy Butler has been a crucial catalyst in the resurgence of the Golden State Warriors in the West. He has played a great role to compliment alongside Stephen Curry, filling the void left by Klay Thompson. After a 10-point victory in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, the Game 2 was an upset for the Dubs and has raised serious concerns about Jimmy Butler's availability for the next game.

During the first quarter of the game, Houston's Amen Thompson appeared to slide under Butler as he came down from a rebound attempt. Butler had a nasty fall and remained on the floor clutching the lower part of this back. With just 8 minutes on the floor, Butler was escorted back to the locker room and did not return for the rest of the game.

As per league insider Chris Haynes, Butler has now been diagnosed with a pelvic contusion, which obviously had him ruled out for the rest of the game.

MRI reports are still awaited, which could confirm his availability for the rest of the series.

Will Jimmy Butler Play in Game 3 of the First Round Series?

Jimmy Butler has been a crucial veteran in leading the Warriors to this stage. Throughout the regular season and the Play-Ins, Butler complimented as Stephen Curry's ‘Robin’ and displayed brilliance on both ends of the floor. However, it is uncertain whether Butler will be able to return for Game 3 of the series versus Houston.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been rather optimistic about Butler's return to the series. “Jimmy always says he's gonna be fine,” said the four-time championship winning coach. “But we have to wait to see what the MRI shows.”

The MRI reports might take a while but Game 2 without Jimmy Butler was rather abysmal for the Bay-Area team. The Rockets made a come back from their Game 1 defeat, crushing the Dubs 109-94 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Warriors struggling seemed apparent as they were shooting just 41.3% from the field as a team. The team went 11-of-18 from the foul line, shooting just 61.1% of their free throws. It was a rough night for the Dubs and perhaps, they might need Jimmy Butler back to the best of his capacity to keep up in this series.

As per latest reports from ESPN's Shams Charania, Butler has now been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets remains contentious. As of now, the best case scenario showed through MRI scans that Butler avoided any fracuture or structural damage from this injury.