The Warriors didn’t need a reminder of how important Jimmy Butler is to their championship aspirations.
But they received one anyway when the veteran wing went crashing to the floor after a mid-air collision with Rockets wing Amen Thompson in the first quarter of a 109-94 Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
Butler didn’t return and was initially diagnosed with a pelvic contusion. An MRI on Thursday revealed no structural damage, a league source told The Standard, and his injury is described as a deep glute bruise.
The six-time All-Star’s status for Saturday night’s Game 3 is yet to be determined, as Butler and the team have more than a full day to evaluate. The series is heading to Chase Center tied 1-1.
With Butler off the floor for the final 39 minutes on Wednesday, Golden State’s lack of depth was exposed.
Head coach Steve Kerr brought Jonathan Kuminga off the bench after the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft had been out of the rotation for the prior three games. Kuminga finished with 11 points in 26 minutes, but wasn’t the spark plug Golden State needed to mount a comeback.
Aside from Kuminga, rookie center Quinten Post (25 minutes), second-year forward Gui Santos (11 minutes) and second-year guard Pat Spencer (12 minutes) all became more significant factors in Kerr’s rotations.
The Warriors lost the rebounding battle by 14, were outscored in the paint by 18 points, and never cut the Rockets’ lead to a single-digit margin in the second half.
It’s no secret that Golden State’s hopes of making a deep playoff run hinge on Butler’s health. His arrival turned a Warriors season going nowhere into one with legitimate championship aspirations.
Butler scored 25 points in the Warriors’ Game 1 win over the Rockets after leading all scorers with 38 points in a Play-In Tournament win against Memphis.
Butler’s all-around, two-way game has had positive influences on role players such as Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody, who have flourished alongside him.
Two years ago in the playoffs, Butler took a similar fall on his backside against Milwaukee. Though that injury was more mild than the one he’s currently dealing with, he didn’t miss any games and closed out the Bucks with 56 and 42 points in the final two games of the series.
The question now is if Butler can similarly bounce back. He flew home to the Bay Area ahead of the team to get the MRI that returned encouraging news. He and the team won’t have to decide his availability until game-time on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Draymond Green finishes third in DPOY
Cleveland big man Evan Mobley won his first career Defensive Player of the Year Award, denying Draymond Green of his second honor despite the Warriors star’s public campaigning for the honor.
Green earned the third-most votes, finishing behind Mobley and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. Green received 15 first-place votes; here are the full results.
Green anchored a Warriors defense that ranked first in defensive rating after the All-Star break by playing almost exclusively as a small-ball center despite being 6-foot-6. He’s always been among the most versatile and cerebral defenders in the league, yet only has one Defensive Player of the Year trophy to show for it.
Green ranked first in D-LEBRON, an advanced, catch-all defensive metric. He also ranked ahead of Mobley in defensive box plus-minus and stocks (steals plus blocks) per game.
But his case wasn’t enough to sway the voting media contingent.
Mobley, like Green, excels at guarding multiple positions and helped lead Cleveland to the best record in the Eastern Conference. The 23-year-old averaged 1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. Cleveland’s defense was about three points per 100 possessions better with Mobley on the court compared to when he sat.
Mobley’s Defensive Player of the Year award has significant implications for him personally and the Cavaliers. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, language in his rookie extension contract triggers roughly a $45 million raise over the next five seasons because of the honor.
Steph Curry’s whistle
Steph Curry has attempted six foul shots through 77 minutes across the first two games of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Rockets. That’s as Houston has taken its strategy of grabbing, holding, roughing, wrapping and grappling to its logical end.
The playoffs are more physical than the regular season, and Curry is certainly not new to aggressive on-ball defenders. But Curry’s lack of fouls drawn remains an outlier.
Here’s how many free throw attempts some other heavy-usage guards have earned through two playoff games.
Jalen Brunson, Knicks: 21
Luka Doncic, Lakers: 20
Cade Cunningham, Pistons: 17
Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers: 13 (in 43 minutes)
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers: 11
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder: 11
Darius Garland, Cavaliers: 10
Among players with at least 30 field goal attempts, Curry’s six free throws are tied for the third-least in the playoffs. And one of them came off of a technical foul.