HOUSTON — The Golden State Warriors suffered a tough blow Wednesday night as star forward Jimmy Butler exited the game with a pelvis contusion, leaving his status for Game 3 in doubt.

The injury occurred late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ 109-94 loss to the Houston Rockets. Butler was fouled hard when Amen Thompson was shoved into his legs during a rebound attempt. Both players hit the court, but Butler remained down in pain.

After slowly getting up, Butler managed to shoot his free throws — hitting 1 of 2 — before heading straight to the locker room. He did not return for the remainder of the game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Butler will undergo an MRI on Thursday to assess the extent of the injury.

“Jimmy always says he’s going to be fine,” Kerr said postgame. “But we have to wait to see with the MRI.”

Kerr emphasized that he doesn’t believe Thompson’s foul was malicious.

“We didn’t think there was anything wrong with the play,” he added. “It was just one of those plays.”

Butler contributed three points and two rebounds before exiting. He had a strong showing in Game 1, putting up 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in Golden State’s 95-85 win.

Kerr admitted it’s too early to talk about adjustments if Butler can’t go in Game 3, which is set for Saturday.

“Hopefully Jimmy will be able to play,” he said. “But if not, we have to go through our options and put together a plan.”

In related news, Brandin Podziemski, who missed most of the first half due to a stomach issue, returned in the third quarter. Kerr shared that Podziemski had been struggling with something he ate and received an IV at halftime to help him recover.

Source: AP News – Golden State’s Jimmy Butler leaves game with pelvis contusion and his status for Game 3 is unknown

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BOSTON (AP) — In a surprising turn of events, Celtics star Jayson Tatum was sidelined for the first playoff game of his career on Wednesday night due to a bone bruise in his right wrist. The injury, which occurred during Boston’s Game 1 victory over the Orlando Magic, kept Tatum out of the lineup as the Celtics hosted the Magic for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The six-time All-Star was ruled out about an hour before tipoff. Although initially listed as doubtful, Tatum’s absence was confirmed after he missed his usual pregame shooting session alongside teammate Jaylen Brown. This marked a rare setback for Tatum, who has played in every postseason game over his eight seasons with the Celtics.

The wrist injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 103-86 win on Sunday. As Tatum attempted a dunk, he was fouled hard by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was trying to block the shot. The force of the contact caused Tatum to land awkwardly on his right side. After a review by the referees, Caldwell-Pope’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant, but Tatum managed to finish the game despite initial pain.

“I had some throbbing right after it happened, but it went away,” Tatum said after the game. An X-ray was taken postgame and showed no fractures, though an MRI on Tuesday confirmed the bone bruise, keeping him out of Game 2.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about Tatum’s injury during his pregame media session, noting that the star forward had been able to do some light on-court work earlier in the day. “I know he’s doing everything he can to put himself in position to play,” Mazzulla said. “He’ll be day to day.”

Tatum’s absence marked a rare challenge for the Celtics, who have relied heavily on his leadership throughout the season. He led Boston in points, assists, and rebounds per game during the regular season, and has been a key figure in their playoff runs over the years.

Despite Tatum’s absence, the Celtics have fared well without him during the regular season, posting an 8-2 record. However, both losses came at the hands of the Magic, although Boston rested all its starters during their final meeting in Orlando on April 9.

The best-of-seven series now heads to Orlando for Game 3 on Friday, where the Celtics will look to build on their momentum while hoping for a quick recovery from their star player.

Source: AP News – Jayson Tatum misses 1st career playoff game with wrist injury as Celtics host Magic in Game 2

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