The Golden State Warriors suffered a tough 109–94 loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their NBA first-round playoff series, tying the matchup at 1–1. While the scoreboard told one story, the biggest headlines came off the court: Jimmy Butler left the game with an injury, and Jonathan Kuminga made his long-awaited postseason return. After the game, Stephen Curry weighed in on both developments.
Jimmy Butler exited the game after suffering what the team has called a pelvic contusion. He is currently undergoing an MRI, and the Warriors—as well as the NBA world—await the results to determine the severity. Early speculation suggests Butler could be sidelined for an extended period. If that’s the case, Golden State will need Kuminga to step into a much larger role—something Curry fully supports, according to KNBR.
“I think whether Jimmy’s out there or not, it feels like it could swing a different way,” Curry said. “And so that’s the challenge, and it’s always been for [Kuminga] to see the pictures, understand the intensity that’s out there. Try to be in the right spots defensively, and then when he has opportunities to be aggressive on the offensive end, take them. We trust him when he has the ball in his hands, however many minutes he’s out there.”
Butler’s injury occurred during a rebound attempt, when he fell awkwardly after colliding with Rockets rookie Amen Thompson. The contact appeared to be accidental, with a light shove from Draymond Green seemingly pushing Thompson into Butler’s back, leading to the fall.
Kuminga’s return: rusty but encouraging
Jonathan Kuminga logged 26 minutes—his first playoff action this season after sitting out the play-in and Game 1. It was a challenging context to return in, with the game already heated by recent tensions between the two teams dating back to the regular season. Still, Kuminga seemed to settle in as the game progressed.
He finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, shooting 33.3% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. While not eye-popping stats, it marked his highest minutes total since logging 28 against the Denver Nuggets on March 17.
Curry on Kuminga’s role moving forward
With Jimmy Butler’s status uncertain, Jonathan Kuminga’s role becomes even more important. Steph Curry didn’t shy away from showing his belief in the young forward.
“I thought he played aggressive. I know he probably wants to play better and knock the rust off,” Curry said. “But as soon as Jimmy went down, I actually saw him on the bench and gave him a little love—knew he was going to get his number called pretty quickly. That’s the nature of this league. You don’t always know when your moment’s coming, but when it does, you’ve got to be ready. He brought energy and aggressiveness, and he’s going to be a huge part of what we do moving forward.”