The Golden State Warriors went up against the Miami Heat in what would be a competitive and hard-fought matchup for the first three quarters. Both teams are battling for seeding positions in their respective conferences.
The Warriors ranked as the 8th seed in the West, while the Heat is ranked as the 8th seed in the East. However, one of the Warriors’ star players suffered a major injury that may change the trajectory of the franchise’s season.
Butler is out with a right knee injury
Jimmy Butler appeared to injure his right knee as he was grabbing the ball in the air against Heat player Davion Mitchell. He was noticeably in pain and had to be limped off the court by his teammates. He left in the third quarter and did not return to finish the game.
Butler would finish the game with 17 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 6-11 from the field. Butler has his fair share of injuries this season, but this apparent injury looks like he could be out for an extended time. With that being said, the Warriors would go on to beat the Heat 135-112, where they would improve their record to 25-19, with the Heat dropping to 22-21.
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With Draymond Green expected to return to play against the Toronto Raptors in the second leg of a back-to-back, Stephen Curry will have to kick things into another gear, receiving more usage offensively for the foreseeable future.
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