1 week Ago By Athlon Sports
The Warriors are back home at the Chase Center in San Francisco, hoping to knock off the No. 2 seeded Houston Rockets in their opening-round Western Conference playoff series in Game 3, as the series stands tied, 1-1. But the focus heading into the game has been the health issues the team is facing.
Yes, Gary Payton II has been on the injury report, but the real issue is the status of star forward Jimmy Butler, who injured his backside on a nasty fall. The Warriors had Stephen Curry, Payton II and Butler on the NBA's official injury report on Friday.While the news has been good for Curry, who aggravated a season-long thumb injury last week, it's also good for Payton.
As coach Steve Kerr reported in his pregame presser on Saturday, "Gary should be good to go."Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks with the media before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesIt's a lot more murky for Butler, who was listed as questionable on the injury report with what is being called, "Left Pelvic; Contusion.
" An hour befoer game time, Kerr was asked if he knew whether Butler would play, "Not yet. He'll try to get some work done down stairs and see if he can go."If Butler can't go, it's likely the team will see much-maligned forward Jonathan Kuminga--who was benched to close the season and open the playoffs--get much more playing time.
Either way, Kerr is hoping the team can take advantage of the "emotional swing" that comes with coming back home.Steve Kerr said Jimmy Butler III will get some work in pregame and see how he feels before they decide if he’ll play tonight. pic.
twitter.com/ID54bgBQqT— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 26, 2025 "The bigger thing to me is just the emotional swings in any playoff series when the location shifts.
You get the home crowd behind you," Kerr said. "There's just a level of energy that you get at home that is helpful. I mean, I think that's the thing I took from Game 2 is they played harder.
They played more physically, and their crowd was into it. ..
."It was something we've seen in other series, and throughout NBA history, is just, you know, a little bit of human nature. It's all part of it.
So that's a big theme for today. We have to respond the way they responded in Game 2.".
