SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors believe there is a good chance that they will have Jimmy Butler back on the court for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets tonight at Chase Center.

Butler was knocked out early in Wednesday’s Game 2 with what the team called a “deep” pelvic contusion. The teams split the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Houston.

“I’m relatively optimistic,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on Friday. “I mean, it’s Jimmy, and we know he’s willing to play through anything. So we’ll see. This is a day-to-day thing for sure, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. But I think there’s a chance he plays.”

An MRI on Thursday showed neither a fracture nor structural damage.

Steph Curry also suffered a pelvic contusion during the regular season. The point guard missed two games in March, and has worn protective equipment since returning.

With Butler out, Kerr turned to Jonathan Kuminga, who had not played in the Warriors’ three most important games of the season over the last week and a half. Kuminga scored 11 points in 26 up-and-down minutes.

Regardless of whether Butler plays, and if Kuminga or any other player receives more minutes, Kerr said the game plan will not change.

“There’s not two game plans, but two rotations for,” Kerr said. “The game plan doesn’t change.”

Butler was injured on a hard fall in the first quarter of Game 2, landing on his back after being undercut by San Leandro native Amen Thompson while grabbing a rebound.

Kerr said he and the Warriors’ coaching staff didn’t think it was a malicious play by Thompson, who squeezed between Draymond Green and Houston’s Steven Adams, stumbling into the legs of an airborne Butler. But Friday, a longtime Warriors antagonist added another layer of animosity to what has already been a contentious series defined by physical play, technical fouls, longstanding feuds, and, now, Butler’s injury.

Rockets forward Dillon Brooks defended Thompson on Friday, and in the process pointed the finger for the incident at Green, the Warriors veteran who has a long and colorful history of playoff fouls and dustups.

“I think the dirty player is Draymond (for) giving him a little push as regular basketball players do,” Brooks told media in response to assertions that Thompson’s play may have been dirty. “We hope Jimmy can get better.”

Green had a heated exchange with Fred VanVleet during Game 2, and in his playoff past was guilty of kicking Adams, then with Oklahoma City, in the groin during the 2016 Western Confrence Finals. Green did the same to LeBron James during the 2016 Finals against the Cavaliers, and also stomped on Domantas Sabonis during a first-round game against the Kings two years ago and was suspended for putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a 2023 play-in game.

During media availability after Friday’s practice at Chase Center, Kerr had a short answer in response to what the Rockets forward said.

“Dillon said that? Interesting,” Kerr said.

Green’s teammate, Moses Moody, gave a sarcastic response to Brooks’ assertion.

“It’s a little ironic, isn’t it,” Moody asked rhetorically.

During the 2022 Western Conference semifinals as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks’ flagrant foul on Gary Payton II fractured the Warriors wing’s elbow.

Payton did not return until Game 2 of the NBA Finals against Boston.