SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Warriors star Jimmy Butler injured his right knee midway through the third quarter of a 135-112 win Monday night against his former Miami Heat team after he scored 17 points, a big blow for Golden State.
Tempers flared with some shoving between the reserves in the closing seconds.
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Golden State Warriors' Jimmy Butler III (10) goes up to shoot over Miami Heat's Norman Powell, left, Davion Mitchell (45) and Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, middle, is helped up by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, left, reacts after contact with Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, second from left, is helped off the floor by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, middle, is helped off the floor by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Butler was hurt moments after catching a pass in the paint when he went down hard and awkwardly following a collision with the Heat’s Davion Mitchell — who was called for a foul at the 7:41 mark of the third. The team said he would have an MRI exam and no further updates on his status were expected until Tuesday.
The knee buckled upon his landing and Butler screamed, grimaced and grabbed at his knee while down for a couple of minutes. He needed teammates Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield to escort him off the court and to the locker room after the fall on the Warriors’ offensive end. When he finally got up with assistance, he was unable to put any pressure on his knee.
Andrew Wiggins had 18 points and five rebounds for Miami in his return to Chase Center, where he helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship. Norman Powell had 21 points as the Heat kicked off a five-game West Coast trip and lost their fourth in a row away from home to drop to 7-14 overall outside South Florida.
Butler shot 6 for 11 after he sat out Saturday's 136-116 win against Charlotte for personal reasons. Stephen Curry had 19 points and 11 assists, Brandin Podziemski scored a season-best 24 points to go with six rebounds and Hield added 16 points on a night Golden State was without Draymond Green because of a right ankle sprain as a precaution. He is expected back for Tuesday's home matchup against Toronto.
The Warriors played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the 13th time in 14 seasons and second year in a row at home.
Heat: At Sacramento on Tuesday night to complete a back-to-back.
Warriors: Host the Raptors on Tuesday night.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Golden State Warriors' Jimmy Butler III (10) goes up to shoot over Miami Heat's Norman Powell, left, Davion Mitchell (45) and Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, middle, is helped up by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, left, reacts after contact with Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, second from left, is helped off the floor by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III, middle, is helped off the floor by teammates during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, two of the top three women's seeds at the Australian Open, both reached the third round Wednesday. And the top-seeded man, Carlos Alcaraz, joined them.
Top-seeded Sabalenka defeated Bai Zhouxuan of China 6-3, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena, and No. 3 Gauff won over left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 at Margaret Court Arena.
Alcaraz defeated Germany's Yannick Hanfmann in a tough match for the Spaniard, who prevailed 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2.
“I knew he (Hanfmann) was going to play great,” Alcaraz said. “I knew his level. We'd played a few times already. But to be honest, it was tougher than I thought.”
“The ball was coming as a bomb — forehand, backhand, so I had to be ready for that,” Alcaraz added of Hanfmann's shot making.
Alcaraz, 22, is trying to win his first title at Melbourne Park to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago against Madison Keys. She is after her fifth Grand Slam title and has two trophies at the U.S. Open.
Gauff has never advanced past the semifinals in Australia and has Grand Slam titles from the French Open and U.S. Open.
Sabalenka raced to a 5-0 lead in the first set but then needed seven set points at Rod Laver Arena to take the set against the defensive-minded Chinese player, who used clever drop shots to help her stay in the match.
Sabalenka will next face Anastasia Popapova, who defeated 28th-seeded and former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6 (3), 6-2.
“I was happy to get this win, a tricky opponent,” Sabalenka said. "She really stepped in in the first set.”
Sabalenka led 4-0 in the second set and overpowered the smaller Bai. Sabalenka even tried a bit of serve-and-volley in the match, trying to diversify her game.
“You saw serve-and-volley today," Sabalenka said. “It didn’t really work well, but I did one.”
Bai was making her second appearance in the Australian Open and reached the second round for the first time.
In another women's match, 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine defeated Linda Klimovicova of Poland 7-5, 6-1. Gael Monfils, a popular 39-year-old Frenchman and Svitolina's husband, said goodbye at Melbourne Park in his retirement year, losing on Tuesday in a first-round match to qualifier Dane Sweeny.
In another women's match, Zeynep Sönmez of Turkey, who was highly praised during her first-round match Sunday for assisting an ill ballkid, advanced to the third round after beating Anna Bondar 6-2, 6-4.
Sönmez played at one of Melbourne Park’s outside courts and the stands were crammed with members of Melbourne’s Turkish community.
“I really appreciated there were many Turkish people, and I felt like I was at home,” she said. “At first I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. It was very, very loud.”
In men's results, 2021 U.S. Open winner and 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Quentin Halys 6-7 (9), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, 13th-seeded Andrey Rublev beat Jaime Faria 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 and 19th-seeded Tommy Paul defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Also, 14th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the first two sets but then struggled to beat American Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus celebrates after defeating Bai Zhuoxuan of China in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Coco Gauff of the U.S. falls during her second round match against Olga Danilovic of Serbia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Tommy Paul of the U.S. serves to Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey reacts after defeating Anna Bondar of Hungary in their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Elina Svitolina, right, of Ukraine is congratulated by Cristina Bucsa, left, of Spain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Bai Zhuoxuan of China during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Bai Zhuoxuan of China plays a forehand return to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her second round match against Bai Zhuoxuan of China at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
