The understaffed Warriors just got more understaffed, and it happened against the defending champions no less. The Golden State Warriors were already in a tough spot going up against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Stephen Curry on Tuesday night. The anxiety spiked when Jimmy Butler was initially listed as questionable with a left gluteal contusion before the game, only for him to be cleared shortly before tip-off.

Midway through the second quarter, Butler stumbled along the baseline, lost his shoe and limped off, heading to the locker room during a timeout before briefly returning to finish the half. He did not come back out for the start of the third quarter, with Gary Payton II taking his place in the lineup, and he was nowhere to be seen on the bench.

As the Warriors’ bench mounted a comeback and cut what had been a 22-point deficit down to three, they trailed just 91-88 heading into the fourth quarter.

The update finally came before the fourth began: Butler had been ruled out for the rest of the night with a sore left knee. Now we need to keep an eye out for a report on the severity of his knee injury.

Warriors’ Injury Woes Mount with Jimmy Butler

If Butler is unable to play in this game or further, it would mean a huge setback for the Warriors right now. Stephen Curry is ruled out till his quadriceps injury will be re-evaluated in a week. Al Horford and Trayce Jackson Davis were ruled out ahead of the game.

Butler finished with six points, three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes on 2-of-7 shooting, after gutting through the earlier glute issue from the Pelicans game. Despite the shorthanded push, the Warriors fell 124-112 to a Thunder team that improved to 21-1 and continues to look every bit like a reigning champion.

Fans are starting to post about the signs they saw. Apparently Butler started out the game favoring one leg. His limp got worse as the game progressed before his exit.

He’s played previous games this season through some back soreness. Other times he’s had to rest out games. When he’s available, Butler keeps the Warriors offensive at a steady pace with double digits.

He’s bolstered the Warriors offense significantly, evident with the team’s 139.4 offensive rating with him on the floor, including a net +81 rating this season.

Without their veteran stars in the second half, the Warriors rallied and outscored the Thunder 44-28. The Warriors have a fighting chance with OKC in a 3 point lead in the fourth.

Now Butler joins Curry on injury watch. Fans can only hope he returns before Steph.