There is still a good chance Jimmy Butler will suit up for the Golden State Warriors in the pivotal Game 3 against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Butler hasn’t been ruled out of Saturday night’s Game 3.
“He will get constant treatment in the 48 hours leading up to tip and, according to a league source, should be considered a true questionable. His status will depend on how well he responds to treatment,” Slater wrote.
Butler’s MRI came back negative for fracture or structural damage, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday. Though this was the best-case scenario, Charania also added that Butler’s status for Game 3 is in serious jeopardy because he was diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion.
Doctor Offers Hope for Jimmy Butler’s Return in Game 3
According to Dr. Nirav Pandya, a professor at the Orthopedic Surgery department of the University of California, San Francisco and director of sports medicine at Benioff Children’s Hospital, Butler’s injury typically costs a player to sit out an average of one game.
However, Dr. Pandya offered a glimmer of hope for the Warriors fans.
“Now a lot of that data is from the regular season, where there may not necessarily be that big push to have to come back early,” Dr. Pandya said on a video breakdown of Butler’s injury he posted on X. “Obviously, if this happens at playoffs, and pain management can be basically achieved with Jimmy Butler, there could be a chance he could potentially be back for Game 3 or Game 4, based on how his body responds.
“But overall, this appears to be good news for Jimmy Butler in the absence of being fracture or higher up injury in a spine because largely it just becomes a pain management issue, and there is a possibility that if he gets that pain management under control, that we could see him back very shortly for the Golden State Warriors.”
Jimmy Butler Channeling Mamba Mentality
Before Butler’s MRI result came back, his agent Bernie Lee sent a cryptic text to Andscape’s Marc Spears.
“Pray for the bear,” Spears said of Lee’s text message on “NBA Today” on Thursday, April 24.
“Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler’s agent texts me saying, ‘Pray for the bear.’”@MarcJSpears says Jonathan Kuminga needs to be ready for Warriors-Rockets Game 3, but has “optimism” for Butler’s injury status 👀 pic.twitter.com/YvZbLL4gQS
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 24, 2025
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The “pray for the bear” phrase was a reference to the late Kobe Bryant’s defiant message when he tore his Achilles heel in 2013.
“If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear,” Bryant wrote at the time. “I’ve always loved that quote. That’s ‘Mamba Mentality’, we don’t quit. We don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr holds out hope Butler will be available to play in Game 3 after the Rockets have tied the series with a momentum-changing 109-94 win in Game 2.
“Hopefully Jimmy will be able to play,” Kerr told reporters. “But if not, we have to go through our options and put together a plan.”
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Warriors Star Jimmy Butler’s ‘True’ Status for Game 3 Revealed