The Los Angeles Clippers announced on Sunday that forward Caron Butler fractured his left hand during Game 1 of a Western Conference first round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Clippers announced on Monday that Butler suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand and will miss 4-to-6 weeks, a timeline that will keep him out until the beginning of June at the earliest.
The injury occurred with a little less than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter and the Grizzlies leading 61-46. Butler was playing defense on Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay on the perimeter and fought through a pick set by Grizzlies guard Mike Conley. He played through the pick as if nothing was wrong, but soon after, as Gay dribbled towards the key, Butler reacted as if his left hand was in severe pain. He played through the injury and scored on the Clippers' ensuing offensive possession but continued to favor and flex his left hand.
"It happened early in the third quarter, my hand got caught in Rudy Gay's jersey coming off a pindown screen," Butler said during a televised post-game interview. "I was able to keep playing but once I got subbed out, I felt the throbbing. I went and got the X-ray and noticed I got a fracture."
He eventually left the game with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter and underwent an X-ray in the arena, which revealed the fracture. He returned to sit on the Clippers bench.
Butler left the game with a line of 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 5-for-12 shooting in 22 minutes.
Butler, 32, played 63 games for the Clippers this season, all as a starter. He posted season averages of 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 40.7 percent shooting in 29.7 minutes per game.
