Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler had to be helped off the floor Friday night after suffering a right knee injury against the Houston Rockets.

Butler is set to undergo an MRI on Saturday to assess the extent of the damage, though there was a small bit of positive news when X-rays came back negative, according to Yahoo's Shams Charania.

In regards to potential ligament damage, there is optimism in Butler's camp that he at least avoided an ACL tear, sources told NBA.com's David Aldridge.

There didn't look to be much contact on the play in which Butler went down, though he seemed to bang knees with Rockets forward Ryan Anderson. He stayed on the ground for several minutes, after trying and failing to put weight on his right leg, before finally being carried off by his teammates.

In his first season with the Wolves, Butler has been the team's most important player, steering them toward their first playoff berth in 14 years while averaging 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and five assists, and routinely handling the toughest defensive assignments.

Minnesota outscores opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions with Butler on the floor. It gets outscored by 8.3 points per 100 when he's on the bench.