The Golden State Warriors were hoping to pick up a 2-0 lead over the Houston Rockets in Game 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston. After Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler excelled in their Game 1 win, everyone had high hopes for the star duo giving Golden State a 2-0 lead before playing a single home game.
Unfortunately, the Warriors’ plans have suffered a major blow. Butler would limp off the court in the first quarter after being undercut by Amen Thompson on a drive attempt, crashing into the Rockets’ sophomore and being removed from the game.
Jimmy Butler hit the ground hard after being undercut by Amen Thompson 😳 pic.twitter.com/Icd2wBF50U
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 24, 2025
The Warriors have confirmed Butler will not return to the court in Game 2 and is ruled out with a pelvic contusion. If this injury lingers or limits Butler going forward, the Warriors have next to no chance of beating the Rockets in the first round.
Butler played under eight minutes in the game, scoring three points (1-2 FG) and grabbing three rebounds. The Rockets enjoyed a lead as large as 20 points in the second quarter, so the Warriors are playing under rough circumstances. They are crawling their way to a comeback without Butler, as Jimmy’s absence has reintroduced Jonathan Kuminga to the Warriors rotation.
Kuminga was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer before Butler was acquired in February when Kuminga was injured. The Warriors couldn’t find a way to make Butler and Kuminga work together, prompting Kuminga to get multiple DNPs to maximize Butler.
This has worked well, given Butler’s 23-7 record as a Warrior helped them sneak into the Playoffs after looking set to miss their second postseason in a row.
Now, the soon-to-be free agent gets a real opportunity to either earn a spot in the rotation for the rest of the Playoffs or impress GMs around the NBA who might be asked to take him on in the summer.
Brandin Podziemski is also unavailable for the Warriors in Game 2. He was questionable with an illness but did start the game before leaving around the same time as Butler and hasn’t checked back in.
There hasn’t been official confirmation on his status in this game. The Warriors will shy away from ruling him out entirely as they are probably waiting to see if Podz feels better in the second half. Losing both him and Butler is a major blow to the franchise, but they’re staying competitive with a 46-60 halftime deficit.
Stephen Curry leads the Warriors in scoring with 11 points (5-7 FG) and five assists, while rookie Pat Spencer has contributed nine points (4-6 FG) off the bench. Moses Moody has seven points (2-3 FG) while Jonathan Kuminga is maximizing his first minutes of the playoffs by already notching five points (2-5 FG) and a block.
Jalen Green has broken out of his Game 1 slump for the Rockets, scoring 15 first-half points (4-10 FG), complemented by Alperen Sengun’s 13 points (5-13 FG) and six rebounds. Tari Eason has 12 points (5-6 FG) and six rebounds off the bench.
