Jimmy Butler questionable for Game 3 of Warriors' first-round series against Rockets

SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors forward Jimmy Butler was listed as questionable for Game 3 of Golden State's first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets after he sustained a pelvic contusion in a frightening fall during Game 2.

''I'm relatively optimistic, I mean Jimmy's Jimmy. We know he's willing to play through anything, so we'll see,'' coach Steve Kerr said Friday. ''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.''

Butler flew home from Houston and underwent an MRI exam Thursday in the Bay Area that revealed he injured his pelvis and has a deep gluteal muscle contusion. The team announced the update Friday, with the best-of-seven series tied at one game apiece as it shifts to Chase Center in San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday night. Game 4 is Monday.

Butler, who has taken pressure off Stephen Curry by contributing on both ends since arriving in the Bay Area earlier this year in a trade from Miami, went down hard when fouled by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and then missed the rest of the Warriors' 109-94 Game 2 loss on Wednesday night.

Butler tried to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him and sent the Warriors star's feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.

''Obviously, he's a huge part of what they do,'' Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. ''Isolation scorer, cross matches, he likes to hunt those, so you can key in on Curry a little bit more obviously with him not on the court. And I think we did that for the most part.''

Houston's Dillon Brooks on Friday defended Thompson for playing fairly and instead said, ''I think the dirty player is Draymond (Green).''

When told Friday of Brooks' comment, Kerr said: ''Dillon said that? Interesting.''

Three years ago when he was with Memphis, Brooks' flagrant-2 foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals fractured Payton's elbow. He returned for Game 2 of Golden State's six-game NBA Finals victory over Boston.

The Warriors are counting on the do-everything Butler if they want to make a deep run.

In the Game 1 win against the Rockets, he had 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in 42 minutes of action. The Warriors are 25-9 since Butler made his debut at Chicago on Feb. 8, including 23-8 in the regular season, a play-in tournament win over Memphis and the two games facing Houston.

Now, if need be, Kerr will do his best to capitalize on the depth that has been an asset all season — ''not two game plans but two rotations for sure, the game plan doesn't change,'' he said.

''It's a pain tolerance thing, that's why it's day to day,'' Kerr said of Butler's status.

Jonathan Kuminga hadn't been on the court at all the previous three games but was called into the rotation with Butler hurt, and Brandin Podziemski played through an illness with his team short-handed — even receiving intravenous fluids at halftime.

He thinks he had food poisoning from seafood he ate. Now, Podziemski is ready to go and handle any load needed no matter Butler's availability and also to assist Curry.

''Everybody's going to step up and play a better role when he's not out there,'' Podziemski said. ''Obviously it helps that we're at home so role players, it makes it easier for them because the crowd's playing with them. I think everybody's just going to step up and play better. It's the first home playoff game for many of us.''

Kerr said Curry had suffered similar injuries to what Butler is going through.

''I've had that happen a couple of times and you know exactly what it is. It's a matter of how bad it was and I don't know," Curry said after the game. "But it definitely changed the dynamic of our offense. Him and BP played a combined 21 minutes, so it kind of shuffled all the rotations a little bit.''

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.

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