After a strong performance in Game 1 that led to the Golden State Warriors taking a 1-0 lead in the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, momentum shifted in Game 2. After a rocky start in the first quarter, things quickly got worse for the Warriors on Wednesday night in Houston.
Jimmy Butler exited the game in the first quarter following a hard fall. After his exit, Butler was then ruled out for the remainder of the game with a pelvis contusion injury. The veteran wing is now set to undergo an MRI after flying back to the Bay Area on Wednesday night.
With Butler sidelined, the Warriors also didn’t have a fully healthy Brandin Podziemski. Prior to tipoff, Podziemski was listed as questionable for Game 2 due to an illness. Although Podziemski played 14 minutes, the second-year guard finished the game with no points, rebounds or assists.
With a shorthanded rotation, the Warriors had no answer for Jalen Green and the Rockets. Green tallied a game-high 38 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field with eight made 3-pointers to go along with six assists and four rebounds as Houston evened the series at 1-1 with a 109-94 win in Game 2.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field with four made triples, nine assists and five rebounds in 37 minutes.
With Butler sidelined, Steve Kerr turned to Jonathan Kuminga. After falling out of the rotation and not playing in three straight games, Kuminga tallied 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field with three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes off the bench.
Pat Spencer and Quinten Post provided a boost off the bench for the Warriors in Game 2, both scoring in double figures. Post notched 12 points while Spencer added 11 points on Wednesday.
The Warriors will now get two days off before returning to the Bay Area for Game 3 on Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!