Jimmy Butler will not play in Game 3 between the Warriors and the Houston Rockets on Saturday at Chase Center.
The Warriors ruled Butler out on the official NBA injury report for the pivotal swing game.
Fourth-year NBA forward Jonathan Kuminga will start in Butler’s place, the Warriors announced 30 minutes before tip-off.
Rookie center Quinten Post also will start, with guard Moses Moody shifting to the bench.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson reported that Butler was on the Warriors’ practice court at Chase Center getting up shots about an hour before tip-off of Game 3.
Butler was all smiles walking into Chase Center before the game, but the Warriors clearly don’t believe he’s ready to play against a physical Rockets team.
Butler sustained the injury late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Rockets at Toyota Center.
The 35-year-old’s MRI on Thursday showed no fractures or structural damage.
The Warriors had hoped two full days off between games would give Butler enough time to receive treatment and be ready for Saturday night.
But Golden State also knows they can’t risk Butler making the injury worse. If they want to make a deep NBA playoff run, they’ll need him to be healthy in the long run.
Kuminga rejoined the Warriors’ rotation when Butler sustained the injury. But before that, the 22-year-old had received three consecutive DNPs (Did Not Play).
It remains to be seen how effective Kuminga will be, but he played well against the Rockets in four regular-season games, averaging 21.3 points and 6.8 rebounds.
