SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Warriors star Jimmy Butler injured his right knee midway through the third quarter of a 135-112 win Monday night against his former Miami Heat team after he scored 17 points, a big blow for Golden State.
Tempers flared with some shoving between the reserves in the closing seconds.
Butler was hurt moments after catching a pass in the paint when he went down hard and awkwardly following a collision with the Heat’s Davion Mitchell — who was called for a foul at the 7:41 mark of the third. The team said he would have an MRI exam and no further updates on his status were expected until Tuesday.
The knee buckled upon his landing and Butler screamed, grimaced and grabbed at his knee while down for a couple of minutes. He needed teammates Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield to escort him off the court and to the locker room after the fall on the Warriors’ offensive end. When he finally got up with assistance, he was unable to put any pressure on his knee.
Andrew Wiggins had 18 points and five rebounds for Miami in his return to Chase Center, where he helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship. Norman Powell had 21 points as the Heat kicked off a five-game West Coast trip and lost their fourth in a row away from home to drop to 7-14 overall outside South Florida.
Butler shot 6 for 11 after he sat out Saturday's 136-116 win against Charlotte for personal reasons. Stephen Curry had 19 points and 11 assists, Brandin Podziemski scored a season-best 24 points to go with six rebounds and Hield added 16 points on a night Golden State was without Draymond Green because of a right ankle sprain as a precaution. He is expected back for Tuesday's home matchup against Toronto.
The Warriors played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the 13th time in 14 seasons and second year in a row at home.
Heat: At Sacramento on Tuesday night to complete a back-to-back.
Warriors: Host the Raptors on Tuesday night.
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