Rockets' physicality under fire as Natalie Esquire questions players' skills following Jimmy Butler injury: "Clown show"

Jimmy Butler suffered a pelvic contusion late in the first quarter of Game 2 of the first-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Natalie Esquire was not a fan of the Rockets' physicality because it caused an injury to Butler.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the NBC Sports analyst called the Rockets a "clown show" for their brand of physicality. Ime Udoka's team has been rough on the Warriors, but Wednesday's incident should not be tolerated. Amen Thompson undercut Butler, causing him to fall down on his hip and back.

Esquire also took a shot at the Rockets for lacking the skills to compete with Golden State, so they had to resort to being physical.

"Whenever teams lack skill, they always wanna get super physical. Clown show over there in Houston," Esquire tweeted.

Amen Thompson missed a floater when Jimmy Butler jumped to get the rebound. Thompson was being boxed out by Draymond Green when he suddenly launched himself into Butler's legs, undercutting him and causing the hard fall.

It initially appeared that Green might have pushed Thompson, but it wasn't the case. Brandin Podziemski and Steven Adams were also battling for position, though Thompson could have also tripped on the play. It was an unfortunate situation that could have been prevented.

With Butler out for the rest of Game 2, coach Steve Kerr finally used Jonathan Kuminga, who has been in the doghouse since returning from injury.

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Jimmy Butler injury update

Jimmy Butler injury update. (Photo: IMAGN)

The Golden State Warriors and their fanbase are hoping for the best news about Jimmy Butler after his bad fall on Wednesday. Warriors beat reporter and insider Anthony Slater cited sources within the team saying that Butler is scheduled for an MRI.

Slater added that the Warriors' medical staff have dealt with pelvic contusions over the past two months. Steph Curry missed two games because of the same injury, while Jonathan Kuminga only sat out one game.

"MRI expected tomorrow for Jimmy Butler, per source," Slater tweeted. "Warriors have dealt with a couple of these pelvic contusions recently after similar falls from Steph Curry and Jonathan Kuminga. Curry missed two games. Kuminga missed one. Then it became a pain management issue."

Butler has three days of rest before Game 3 back at the Chase Center in San Francisco. It won't be surprising if the Warriors are cautious with the injury, especially after getting a win on the road and stealing homecourt advantage.