Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers amid recovery from a knee injury suffered in Tuesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
That said, the Warriors might have dodged a bullet on Butler’s injury as Slater reported Wednesday that “his knee injury isn’t believed to be serious.”
“His status for Thursday’s game in Philadelphia is to be determined, but Butler shouldn’t miss much (if any) time,” Slater said.
Butler only played in the first half against OKC. He had six points, three assists and one rebound in 15 minutes on the floor.
Despite the fact they were also missing Stephen Curry, the Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61 in the second half, but that wasn’t enough to make up for their slow start.
While Golden State received good news on Butler, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed Curry won’t be with the team for its upcoming three-game road trip. The earliest he’ll return is a Dec. 12 meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Nov. 11, the Warriors lost to the Thunder by 24 points, a result that dropped them to .500 for the season. They bounced back the following night to beat the San Antonio Spurs, and the players pointed to some candid conversations behind the scenes as having a positive effect.
Yet, here Golden State is, once again sitting at .500 (11-11) on the heels of a double-digit defeat to Oklahoma City.
Things might get worse before they get better because the 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls could all be tricky opponents when the Warriors are without their best player.