The Golden State Warriors will have to try to recover their advance on Houston’s Rockets without Jimmy Butler.
The six-time All-Star was out of the departure alignment for match 3 of the Warriors series, with Jonathan Kuminga, who was out of the rotation of match 1, taking his place.
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Butler was previously listed as questionable for match 3, but His availability would have been serious Thursday. Butler argued what was later described as a muscular bruise of the deep gluteus during a hard fall after colliding with the Rockets Amen Thompson wing in match 2. Butler was released in the first quarter and was quickly excluded for the rest of the match.
The good news for the Warriors is that the imagery would have shown that Butler had avoided a more serious injury, like a fracture. The bad news is that they must always understand what to do against the Rockets while waiting after being outdated throughout match 2.
An adjustment that the team makes is to promote the Center de Recrue Quinten Post in the starting formation, giving them a big more traditional man alongside Kuminga and Draymond Green against physical rockets, while Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski Man The Backcourt.
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However, Match 3, Butler’s health still appears as a major scenario for the rest of the series. Butler was a manufacturer of significant difference in the victory of the Warriors match 1, with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five interceptions In a 95-85 Golden State victory.
This corresponded to its impact on the regular season, while the Warriors went 23-7 with Butler in the alignment after having acquired him from the Heat of Miami on the deadline of trade.