The Golden State Warriors were dealt a serious blow to their postseason hopes after dropping Game 2 against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night while also seeing Jimmy Butler suffer a painful injury.
Butler exited in the first quarter after a scary fall and was ruled out for the remainder of Game 2 due to a pelvic contusion. The veteran forward is set to undergo an MRI on Thursday, which should reveal more about his status for the rest of the first-round playoff series against Houston.
Without Butler in the lineup, the Warriors struggled offensively in the 109–94 loss—star Steph Curry once said Butler makes the Warriors' possessions easier, so his absence naturally threw a wrench into the Warriors' plans to snatch away two wins during the Rockets' playoff homestand.
Golden State and Houston combined for 35 fouls and six technicals in Game 2, and it definitely felt like there could have been more calls. As to be expected, Curry, who finished with 20 points and played a team-high 37 minutes, was hounded by the Rockets' dogged defense all night long with some arguing that he should have went to the line more often.
Curry didn't speak much on the overall physicality of the game, but he did open up about his dust-ups with Rockets guard Jalen Green, who erupted for 38 points including eight three-pointers. Curry and Green were involved in two separate loose ball plays during the game that resulted in jump balls.
When asked about his on-court tussles with Green, Curry said, "I've known Jalen for a long time, I was just trying to prove I was stronger than him."
He then added, "We'll arm wrestle after the series is over, we'll see."
steph on going at it with jalen green for the ball:
— nana (@namxsj) April 24, 2025
“i’ve known jalen for a long time, i was just trying to prove i was stronger than him. we’ll arm wrestle after the series is over. we’ll see.” 😂pic.twitter.com/grlrofeywI https://t.co/6oa2Lpd1yk
Nothing to see here but a very, very competitive showdown between two talented teams in the West.
The Warriors-Rockets series is now tied, 1–1. Game 3 is Saturday night in San Francisco.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steph Curry’s Funny Line on Jalen Green Reveals No Bad Blood Between Warriors, Rockets.
