Jimmy Butler left early in the Warriors’ win over the Suns with a lower back injury
Jimmy Butler tried Tuesday night.
After playing in the Chase Center game as questionable, Butler left the Golden State Warriors’ 118-107 win over the Phoenix Suns early due to lower back pain. The team immediately excluded him in the second half too.
Announcement
Butler was spotted with a warmer around his back while resting in the first half, and finished the second quarter on the bench. He was out of the starting lineup early in the third quarter and never returned. The team ruled him out simply due to lower back pain, although no further specifics are yet known.
He finished the night with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 14 minutes. It doesn’t appear he did anything specific in the first half to improve his back; the initial injury stemmed from the Warriors’ loss to the Indianapolis Pacers on Saturday night.
Butler entered the night averaging 21.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting just under 50% from the field. This marks his first full season with the Warriors, who was traded to Golden State last season after a tumultuous end with the Miami Heat. The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $110.9 million extension with the Warriors that will keep him with the team until the end of next season.
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Despite the loss of Butler, the Warriors had little trouble getting past the Suns on Tuesday night. They opened a 19-point lead at the break and held off several late drives by the Suns to take the 11-point win.
Stephen Curry led the way with 28 points while shooting 5-of-12 from the 3-point line, although he revealed after the game that he had been dealing with an illness in recent days. As a result, he has already been ruled out of Wednesday night’s game in Sacramento. Moses Moody added 24 points off the bench and Quinten Post finished with 14 points and six rebounds. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Golden State and pushed its record to 5–3.
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Devin Booker led Phoenix with 38 points after shooting 13 of 24 from the field. Grayson Allen finished with 16 points and Mark Williams added 16 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Dillon Brooks, who missed the game with a groin injury, actually picked up a technical foul in the fourth quarter while on the bench, which Warriors fans certainly loved.
The Suns now hold a 3-5 record.
It’s unclear how long Butler will be sidelined, if at all. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it “questionable” after Tuesday night’s game. But the Warriors will have to turn around and face the Kings on Wednesday night before traveling to Denver to face Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Friday. If Butler isn’t available, especially in that second game, the mini two-game road trip could be difficult for the Warriors.