The Golden State Warriors are expected to have Jimmy Butler back for Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets after he missed Game 3 with a left pelvic contusion, ESPN reported.
In addition to the pelvic injury, Butler also was experiencing glute soreness after he was knocked on his backside while pursuing a rebound in the 10th minute of Wednesday’s 109-94 loss to the Rockets in Game 2 and did not return.
Without Butler in Game 3, the Warriors rebounded with a 104-93 victory behind 36 points from Stephen Curry and will be home again Monday looking to take a 3-1 series lead.
Butler, 35, averaged 17.9 points with 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 30 regular-season games for the Warriors after he was acquired in a trade from the Miami Heat on Feb. 6. He averaged 14.0 points with 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the first two games of the current series.
In 14 career seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bulls (2011-17) and Heat (2019-25), Butler has averaged 18.3 points with 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He has been named an All-Star six times and earned All-NBA second-team honors in 2023.
