The Warriors had no chance without Steph Curry’s Robin. The question is when will Butler return?
The Golden State Warriors were unable to take control of their first-round series, losing Game 2 to the Houston Rockets 109-94. Both teams will now head to the Bay Area for Game 3 of the series with things tied up 1-1. But all eyes will be on the status of Warriors star Jimmy Butler III after he was sidelined by a scary fall on his tailbone in the first quarter.
The Rockets jumped out to an early first quarter lead. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka wanted his team to amp up the physicality even more after their Game 1 loss, and did exactly that. The fact is, NBA referees are always going to be hesitant to grind a game to a halt, especially at the home team’s expense.
It’s far from the first time the Warriors have faced this approach, but before the end of the first quarter, Rockets forward Amen Thompson fell and lunged forward directly undercutting Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler as he jumped for a rebound. As Thompson fell to the floor, Butler fell several feet and slammed directly on his tailbone. After several minutes, Butler gingerly walked to the locker room and was ruled out for the game with a pelvic contusion before the end of the first half.
The diagnosis is identical to recent Warriors injuries that sidelined Steph Curry and Jonathan Kuminga. Butler will undergo a MRI tomorrow to check for a fracture, which would effectively end Butler’s season. If negative, Butler would work with the Dubs medical staff to manage the pain and work his way back to the court. Curry missed one game with his pelvic contusion. Kuminga missed two.
With Butler sidelined, the Warriors needed to dig deep. With Brandin Podziemski severely limited by a stomach illness, Steve Kerr had to explore some new rotations. Pat Spencer received some playing time to spell Podz. Kuminga returned to the rotation in Butler’s place.
The Rockets focused their defense on Curry whenever he was on the floor with a particular ferocity. The Warriors supporting cast was decently effective from three, but was abysmal inside the arc. With several missed shots inside the paint and a selection of unforced turnovers, the Warriors were unable to keep up with a Rockets offense they could not stop.
Curry was able to do enough to keep the Rockets from ending the game early. Houston led 60-46 heading into the half, but was unable to extend their lead to 20 in the third quarter. With Draymond Green on bench toward the end of the third quarter, the Warriors were finally able to get some stops with a 2-3 zone, cutting the lead to 12.
Podziemski, who had just entered the game for the first time in the second half, had an open corner three to make it a single-digit game. Perhaps on a healthier night, he knocks it down. Instead, it rimmed out and turned into a Jalen Green triple going the other way. That encapsulated every Warriors run.
The Warriors cut the lead to 11 in the fourth quarter and had another opportunity to cut the deficit to single-digits with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. But a sloppy turnover and a big shot from Green once again answered. Golden State had opportunities to make it a game, but the Rockets successfully stopped their momentum every time.
The Warriors needed an explosive night from Curry to make up for Butler’s absence. Instead, he was held incredibly quiet all game long and finished with 20 points on highly inefficient shooting.
Perhaps an explosive night from Podziemski, Hield, Moody, or Kuminga could have been enough. However, Podziemski looked sick when he was on the floor. Hield and Moody were quiet aside from an occasional open catch-and-shoot opportunity. Kuminga had one of his worst performances in recent memory.
Kuminga looked like a player who was pressing. A young player who has millions of dollars at stake and has had every minute put under a microscope after recent DNPs. Nevertheless, that’s a part of life in the NBA. Despite making a pair of threes, Kuminga was unable to capitalize on several drives inside and had multiple careless turnovers and mental lapses on defense.
After a rough Game 1 performance, Jalen Green was the star of the night for the Rockets. He recorded 38 points on 13-for-25 shooting from the field (8-for-18 from three) with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and just 2 turnovers. It’s hard not to draw some connection between Green’s explosion and Butler’s absence.
Both teams will have two days off before Game 3 at Chase Center on Saturday. That extra day of rest could prove critical if it enables Butler to rejoin the Warriors. In the meantime, Dub Nation will collectively hold it’s breath and hope for good news tomorrow on Butler’s status.