Jimmy Butler’s injury status remains uncertain for Game 3 between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets after he was diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion following his fall in Game 2.
Despite the concern, NBA analyst Brian Windhorst sees a silver lining for the Warriors in this situation.
The good news, according to Windhorst, is that Jimmy Butler avoided a more serious injury despite the significant fall.
Windhorst compared Butler’s situation to Chet Holmgren’s devastating injury that sidelined the Oklahoma City Thunder star from November 2024 to February 2025 with a broken hip.
“Ja Morant and Jimmy Butler had merily similar falls, on back-to-back nights. Butler was going for a rebound, and fell like on their pelvis from comfortably high,” Windhorst explained on ESPN.
“So, Jimmy, I guess it’s good he didn’t break his hip or break his tailbone, because we saw Chet Holmgren have a fall kind of similar to this,” Windhorst continued.
“So it’s good news Jimmy Butler did not come out of this MRI with them saying there’s a hairline fracture of his pelvis or something.”
Windhorst referenced injury expert Jeff Stotts’ analysis, noting that the average recovery time for Butler’s type of injury is approximately 5.2 days.
“I believe Jeff Stotts, he’s got this amazing injury database. And his database says [Jimmy probably will] miss between two and three games, and usually a week on this,” Windhorst said.
This isn’t Butler’s first experience with this injury. He previously suffered a glute contusion during the 2023 playoffs, giving the Warriors hope for a similar recovery timeline this time around.
Golden State desperately needs Butler’s presence on both ends of the floor if they hope to overcome the Rockets in this competitive playoff matchup.
His two-way impact has been crucial to the Warriors’ success this season, making his potential return timeline a critical factor in the series outcome.
The Warriors’ medical staff will likely take a cautious approach with their star player, balancing the urgency of playoff basketball against the risk of aggravating the injury.
If Butler does miss Game 3, the Warriors will need increased production from their supporting cast to fill the significant void left by their versatile star.