Despite a scary non-contact right knee injury in his game against the Houston Rockets, there's a sense of optimism Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler could have avoided the worst case scenario — a torn ACL, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
Butler drove into the paint with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter and missed a short jumper, shortly grabbing his own offensive rebound, pivoting with his right foot, before collapsing to the floor, holding his knee in visible pain.
Jimmy Butler leaves game vs. Rockets with an apparent knee injury.
Catch the latest news as the games come down to the wire on #CrunchTime pic.twitter.com/IntTGtA6MR
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 24, 2018
An MRI today will either confirm this sense of optimism or crush it, as the team heads back to Minnesota, providing more in-depth information with what really took place with Butler's knee.
Butler is leading the league in minutes played per game under head coach Tom Thibodeau, who said that early evaluations by the team's medical staff were inconclusive.
“You've got to wait for the doctors to do their thing,” Thibodeau said, according to ESPN. “Until they do the MRI, it's speculating. We'll know more tomorrow. I don't want to speculate on what it might be, but we'll just hope for the best.”
Butler was seen hopping on one foot in the Toyota Center hallway as he headed for an X-ray in his injured knee.
Should this be more than just a strain or a hyperextension, Butler's injury could derail the track the Wolves had been in throughout this season, as a pillar of their foundation at both ends of the floor.
The All-Star selection had declined to play in the mid-February classic, citing rest as his reason, averaging 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
Follow Us
Subscribe