A dramatic night in Houston for the Golden State Warriors, who will head back to San Francisco with the series tied after a heavy loss to the Houston Rockets (109-94) in Game 2. However, that wasn’t the only bad news, as Jimmy Butler suffered a brutal fall that has triggered a red alert for the Golden State Warriors as they look to face the rest of the series with confidence.

Warriors Sink Without Butler

With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Jimmy Butler collided with Amen Thompson while going for a loose ball with Draymond Green. He was sent flying to the floor and suffered a hard fall. Jimmy Butler, clearly in serious back pain, managed to get up with great difficulty… but was in no shape to continue playing.

That early setback completely changed the script prepared by Steve Kerr, and the Golden State Warriors ended the first quarter 10 points behind (28-18). It was a burden they never managed to overcome. In fact, they also lost the second and third quarters… and only narrowly won the last one by a single point (22-23).

Rockets Dream of Taking the Lead in San Francisco Without Butler

Stephen Curry did everything he could to make up for the absence of Jimmy Butler. However, his 20 points, five rebounds, and nine assists weren’t enough to counter the outstanding offensive performance by the Houston Rockets—particularly Jalen Green, who bounced back from a poor showing in Game 1 (seven points) to put on a dazzling display, racking up 38 points.

There’s no doubt the Houston Rockets steamrolled the Golden State Warriors, giving the impression that they could take the series lead in San Francisco if Jimmy Butler isn’t available for the next two games. According to The Athletic, Butler is expected to undergo an MRI in the coming hours to determine the extent of an injury that has also plagued Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga in recent times.