Golden State Warriors Star, Jimmy Butler, Expected To Return For Game 4

The Golden State Warriors are getting even stronger at the perfect time. After suffering a tailbone injury during the team’s Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets, Jimmy Butler was forced to miss Game 3. Without him, the Warriors pulled out a big win to take a 2-1 series lead. It looks like the Warriors will be even more juiced up for Game 4 as Butler is expected to be available and return to the lineup.

Suffering a pelvic contusion after a fall early in the second game, his road to returning has not been an easy one, but he has been working tirelessly to ensure that his pain levels are not too high. According to ESPN NBA Insider, Shams Charania, Butler participated in a shootaround on Monday morning and felt that his mobility was much better.

The Impact Butler’s Return Would Have

Before the Warriors acquired Butler in February, they were barely a .500 team going into the All-Star break with a 24-25 record. But since acquiring him, the Warriors have been one of the league’s best teams, compiling a 23-7 record and clinching the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. While Stephen Curry is the star of the team, and has been for the last decade-plus, Butler being on the floor has opened up space for Curry and the rest of the team. His star power adds another element that has put the Warriors in serious contender conversations.

Pelvic injuries can be tricky. Curry, who suffered a pelvic injury very similar to Butler’s earlier in the season, missed two games and returned to play once the pain was more tolerable and he regained his mobility. But since it is the playoffs, Butler and the team have been much more urgent in terms of getting him back.

“He’s doing everything in his power to play tonight in Game 4,” Sharania said on the show. “He’s doing treatments, started on-court workouts over the last 24 hours. The sense I get is that the Warriors and Butler are both aiming—and somewhat expecting—for him to make his return tonight in Game 4. It’s all about getting his mobility back.”

Final Thoughts

With the Warriors managing to win a game without Butler and now having the chance to go up 3-1, he could not be returning at a better time. While the Rockets have been one of the best teams in the league all season en route to being the No. 2 seed in the West, this series so far has shown that Golden State is in the mix. If Butler can come tonight to help the Warriors go up 3-1, it is very possible that the series could be considered over.