NBA Wrap: Grave injury fears confirmed as fall leaves Butler in agony; Knicks’ worrying slump

Golden State’s worst injury fears for veteran star Jimmy Butler have been confirmed after the star went down with a serious knee injury.

During the Warriors-Miami Heat clash on Tuesday AEDT, Butler went airborne to catch an entry pass but was bumped mid-air in a shift to his trajectory, causing him to land awkwardly on his right leg.

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The former Miami, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Chicago forward immediately went to ground, yelling in agony as nearby teammates despondently circled around him.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr called for a timeout as Butler, assisted by teammates, gingerly made his way off the court and straight to the locker room.

“That did not look good at all,” NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald said.

“Jimmy Butler is down, and he was in pain immediately.”

ESPN reported on Tuesday night (AEDT) that Butler had suffered a season-ending torn right ACL

Before the rough fall, the five-time All-Star had played 21 minutes at the Chase Centre for 21 points on 6-11 shooting, three rebounds and four assists.

And despite going on to smash the Heat 135-112 at home, a long-term injury to the 36-year-old would do serious harm to the Warriors’ chances of scraping into the Western Conference playoffs proper — currently in eighth place with a 25-19 record.

ELSEWHERE AROUND THE ASSOCIATION

Tobias Harris scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown on Tuesday.

Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists.

The win sees Detroit extend its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the final seconds, his attempted buzzer-beater bouncing off the rim as Detroit clung on for a one-point victory.

“We wanted this game,” Harris said afterwards. “Obviously, two of the best teams in the East; our group is always up for the challenge. It’s a heck of a win for us.” The Pistons-Celtics showdown was one of a packed slate of fixtures as the NBA marked the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the United States.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the third-placed New York Knicks slumped to their fourth straight loss with a surprising 114-97 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden.

Max Christie led the Mavs’ scoring with 26 points, 24 of them coming from outside the arc, with Naji Marshall scoring 19 and Cooper Flagg 18.

The Knicks were subjected to boos from their home fans after conceding a massive 75 points in the first half as they slid to defeat.

“We all need to do some soul-searching, some looking in the mirror,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “Right now we’re playing embarrassing basketball. We’re not executing on the offensive end. Defensively, we’ve been abysmal. We’ve been terrible defensively all year.”

THUNDER BOUNCE BACK

In the Western Conference, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to winning ways with a 136-104 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Two days after suffering an upset defeat by Miami on Saturday, the NBA champions ensured there would be no repeat against Cleveland.

Apart from a brief spell at the start of the first quarter, Oklahoma City led throughout, building up a double-digit lead before accelerating away with a 45-point fourth quarter.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point haul led the way, with center Chet Holmgren providing offensive support with 28 points and Luguentz Dort adding 18 points.

Isaiah Joe chipped in with 16 points from the bench while Aaron Wiggins finished with 12 as five Thunder players recorded double figures en route to a victory that sees Oklahoma City improve to 36-8 at the top of the Western Conference.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 19 points while four Cavs players – Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson and De’Andre Hunter – all finished with 16 points apiece.

The second-placed San Antonio Spurs remain Oklahoma City’s closest rivals in the Western Conference and improved to 30-13 on Tuesday with a comfortable 123-110 defeat of the Utah Jazz (14-29).

French star Victor Wembanyama anchored the Spurs victory with 33 points – including seven three-pointers – on a night when San Antonio’s all-round offensive potency was highlighted by seven players finishing in double figures.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 21 points helped the Milwaukee Bucks hold off a late rally in a 112-110 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Milwaukee opened a 23-point lead midway through the third quarter but a stubborn Atlanta line-up chipped away at that advantage and grabbed a slender one-point lead with just over a minute remaining before the Bucks reasserted themselves to dig out victory.