The Golden State Warriors are tied 1-1 in their playoff series with the Houston Rockets. They lost Game 2 on Wednesday night, 109-94, and faced an unfortunate injury in the game as well. In the first quarter, Jimmy Butler went down with a pelvic contusion and was unable to return. The Warriors weren’t able to generate much offense with Butler off the floor, and Houston handled them fairly easily after the injury. Warriors fans are now awaiting Jimmy Butler’s MRI results for what has been diagnosed as a pelvic contusion. If Butler is seriously injured or is forced to miss more than a couple of games for the Warriors, their championship chances may be in jeopardy.
Jimmy Butler’s MRI Results Could Make or Break Warriors’ Season
Butler’s Status For Game 3
Butler went down hard in Game 2 after being accidentally undercut by Amen Thompson. After writhing on the ground in pain, he was able to shoot his free throws and walk off the court under his own power. He was still unable to return to the game despite the Warriors needing him desperately to take a 2-0 series lead. Right now, Butler’s injury status for Game 3 is Day-to-Day. Once the results from his MRI come back, he will likely be listed as either questionable or out for Game 3. Whichever it is, Butler’s MRI results will be a huge turning point for the Warriors’ playoff run.
The Best Case Scenario
The best-case scenario is that Butler is just bruised. Although the fall didn’t look great, this is an injury the Warriors have already dealt with this season. Both Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga have dealt with pelvic contusions already this year. Curry missed two games while Kuminga missed only one.
If Butler can escape without major injury, he could only miss one or two games like Curry and Kuminga did. Knowing Butler’s toughness, it wouldn’t be shocking for him to fight through the pain and miss no games at all. It is the playoffs, and Playoff Jimmy has been known to dominate despite being banged up.
The Worst Case Scenario
If Butler’s MRI results come back with bad news, the Warriors are in serious trouble. Before Butler joined the team, the Warriors were simply mediocre. They were fighting for a Play-In spot and were even at risk of missing the playoffs completely. Once Butler joined the team, everything changed.
Butler transformed the Warriors on both ends of the floor. They instantly became one of the best defensive teams in the league and continued to stay elite on offense. That is why missing Butler for the rest of the series or even the rest of the playoffs would be a worst-case scenario for the Warriors.
If Butler’s injury is serious, the Warriors can pretty much kiss their championship hopes goodbye. They may have a chance to eek by the Rockets in the first round without him, but from there things will get very difficult. If Curry doesn’t have a proper secondary star next to him, the Warriors won’t be able to keep up with the rest of the loaded Western Conference playoff teams. So, the Warriors better pray for positive news from the next Butler injury update.
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