Jimmy Butler's season ends on bench with sore knee

As the Minnesota Timberwolves' season ended Wednesday with a Game 5 loss to the Houston Rockets, star swingman Jimmy Butler sat out the final 14:33 of the contest due to soreness in his right knee.

"He had surgery, so it's a concern any time someone's hurt," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said afterward, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

Butler injured his right meniscus on Feb. 23. He underwent surgery and missed 17 games down the stretch, before returning just before the playoffs.

Both he and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the five-game series against Houston. Butler averaged 15.8 points after leading Minnesota in scoring this season, while Towns averaged 15.2 points on just 27.3 percent shooting from deep.

Butler declined comment about his knee, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. The 28-year-old ranked third in the NBA this season in minutes per game at 36.7.