Jimmy Butler’s status for the Warriors is threatened after suffering a deep glute muscle contusion against the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.
And Dillon Brooks believes Draymond Green partly is to blame.
The Rockets forward, who, like Green, never shies away from speaking his mind, responded to the recent narrative circulating the NBA world of his teammate Amen Thompson being a dirty player. Thompson undercut Butler as he was in the air fighting for a rebound before suffering a hard fall in Wednesday’s game.
“Nah. I think the dirty player is Draymond, giving [Thompson] a little push,” Brooks said Friday (h/t Chancellor Johnson). “That’s what regular basketball players do. Jimmy flew in the air for a rebound and, you know, stuff happens. Amen’s not a dirty player, he has nothing to do with being a dirty player.
“We’re not worried about that. We’re on to the next game and we hope Jimmy can get better.”
The “push” Brooks might be referring to was Green trying to box out Thompson, who fought through the contact and plunged under Butler.
Jimmy Butler hit the ground hard after being undercut by Amen Thompson 😳 pic.twitter.com/Icd2wBF50U
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 24, 2025
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Butler was on the floor for several moments before getting up, shooting two free throws and remaining in the game for a few possessions before ultimately exiting and heading for the locker room.
The play since has led many spectators to believe it was a dirty play from Thompson in an already physical series.
But Brooks defended his young teammate, who’s been a defensive standout since coming into the league last season.
The latest on Butler’s status came from ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday night, who reported that Butler was diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion but avoided any fracture or structural damage, adding that his status for Saturday’s Game 3 is in “serious jeopardy.”
It’s safe to say the Warriors are less focused on playing the blame game and just hoping their star forward can get fully healthy as they look to take a 2-1 series lead on their home floor.
