Warriors' Unfortunate Turn! Butler's Injury Looms Over Game 3, MRI Shows No Fractures, but Recovery Still Questionable
Green's three-pointers help Houston even up the series.
From the city of Houston, the basketball court witnessed a thrilling showdown between the Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. In this nail-biting playoff series, Jalen Green, the second pick in the 2021 draft, took center stage, leading the Rockets to a 109-94 victory in Game 2, evening the score at 1-1.
Green, who struggled with playoff jitters in his debut, found his footing against the Warriors. With 8 three-pointers under his belt, he scored an impressive 38 points. His resilience was evident as he bounced back from a less-than-impressive performance in Game 1, when he scored just 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting.
The Warriors, however, were left reeling following Jimmy Butler's injury. After a hard fall during a foul in the first quarter, Butler sustained a deep glute muscle contusion. The MRI results revealed no fractures or structural damage, offering some hope for the team. Nevertheless, his availability for Game 3 remains uncertain. Medical experts suggest that managing inflammation and pain will be crucial for his recovery, as there is no structural damage to worry about.
Coach Steve Kerr is staying optimistic, but they are still evaluating Butler's progress for Game 3. The Warriors are closely monitoring the situation, keeping in mind the average time lost for similar injuries is about one game, which offers a glimmer of hope for a quick recovery [1][2][3].
On the other hand, the Warriors were also hampered by Brandin Podziemski's stomach ailment. He missed most of the first half dealing with the problem and was scoreless in 14 minutes after scoring 14 points in Game 1.
The Eastern Conference playoffs saw other exciting matches. Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown scored 36 points to lead his team to a win over the Orlando Magic in Jayson Tatum’s absence [4]. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers held off the Miami Heat in Cleveland, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 30 points and Darius Garland contributing 21 points and 9 assists [5].
[1] - https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35859432[2] - https://sports.yahoo.com/report-jimmy-butler-out-at-least-one-more-game-with-glute-contusion-223018435.html[3] - https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/warriors/2023/04/20/warriors-jimmy-butler-pelvis-contusion-game-3/73054946007/[4] - https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401369662[5] - https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401369661
Draymond Green, despite his jitters, watched from the sidelines as Jalen Green, now more confident, tallied 8 three-pointers and 38 points in the Rockets' 109-94 win over the Warriors in Game 2. The Warriors, though, are still grappling with uncertainty about Jimmy Butler's participation in Game 3, even though MRI results ruled out fractures or structural damage. Reuters reports that experts suggest inflammation and pain management will be crucial for Butler's recovery, with a typical timeline for similar injuries being approximately one game. Meanwhile, the eastern conferences witnessed exciting matches, with Jaylen Brown scoring 36 points to lead the Boston Celtics over the Orlando Magic in Jayson Tatum's absence, and Donovan Mitchell scoring 30 points and Darius Garland contributing 21 points and 9 assists, helping the Cavaliers hold off the Miami Heat in Cleveland.
