Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he’s “relatively optimistic” forward Jimmy Butler will play game three of their NBA playoff series against Houston despite suffering a pelvic contusion in game two. Butler took a hard fall on a first-quarter foul by Houston’s Amen Thompson on Wednesday and had an MRI exam on Thursday that revealed the extent of the injury.
With the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series tied at one game apiece, Butler was listed as “questionable” for Saturday’s game three in San Francisco. “I’m relatively optimistic,” Kerr said Friday. “I mean, it’s Jimmy, and we know he’s willing to play through anything. So we’ll see. This is a day-to-day thing for sure, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. But I think there’s a chance he plays.”
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Butler, who came down hard on his tailbone when Thompson hit him as he rose to grab a rebound, stayed in the game long enough to shoot two free throws then departed and didn’t return. The Rockets won 109-94 to level the series. Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 30 regular season games for the Warriors after arriving in a February trade from Miami. He scored 25 points in the Warriors’ game one victory over the Rockets.
Kerr acknowledged that his continuing absence would require adjustments but wouldn’t alter the Warriors’ plan of attack against the Rockets. “There’s not two game plans, but two rotations,” Kerr said. “The game plan doesn’t change.”
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