Jimmy Butler, a heat guard, is out of the play-in game due to a sprained MCL.
Miami’s talented swingman will not play against the Chicago Bulls on Friday in the SoFi Play-In Tournament.
Jimmy Butler, a guard with the Miami Heat, will not play on Friday.The organization revealed on Thursday that he has a sprained right MCL in his tournament matchup against the Chicago Bulls. It usually takes four weeks or longer for that kind of injury to heal.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Butler’s injury, which occurred during the first half of the Heat’s 105-104 Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, is expected to keep him out of action for several weeks.
On Friday night (7 ET, ESPN), the Heat will visit the Bulls; the victor of that game will receive the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
What happened: Late in the first quarter, Butler attempted to fake out Kelly Oubre Jr. on a bucket, but his knee gave way and he tumbled to the floor. The Heat player, who guided the team to the NBA Finals in 2023, looked to be Oubre’s target.
Butler remarked, “I guess my knee just didn’t do well because I fell and he landed.” “I’m not sure. I can assure you that the feeling is not positive.
Butler made the first free throw, let out a breath, and missed the second. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stated after the game that Butler’s knee continued to become stiffer and stiffer, and it seemed as though his mobility decreased as the game went on.
After getting hurt, Butler shot just 3 for 14 from the field the rest of the way, finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in 40 minutes of play. Before getting hurt, he was 2 for 4 from the field.
Butler remarked following the game, “I thought the adrenaline would kick in and I’d be able to move.” “And that was simply untrue. I felt like I injured us more than I helped us since I was unable to accomplish anything on either side of the ball.
Effect on Heat: In 60 games with the Heat, former Sixers player Butler scored 20.8 points. The 34-year-old Butler explained that he continued to play because he believed that his “adrenaline would kick back in” and that he would be well enough to perform at his customary level.
Butler’s absence will place a greater scoring burden on several players, including All-Star big man Bam Adebayo and versatile swingman Tyler Herro. Adebayo finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds and took nine shots vs. the 76ers. Herro took a team-leading 27 shots and finished with 25 points, but shot just 33.3% overall and 28.6% on 3-pointers in the loss.
Miami has been without starting point guard Terry Rozier for two weeks because of a neck injury and will play without him again on Friday. Shooting guard Duncan Robinson has missed 10 of Miami’s last 15 games with a back problem, and in the five games he did play in that stretch, he was affected — shooting only 6 for 26 (23%) from 3-point range. He’s made 40% of his 3-pointers in his career.
Miami used the Play-In Tournament to secure the No. 8 seed the previous season, which they used to fuel an unexpected run to the NBA Finals. While Herro missed every game of that postseason run, Butler was active for all but one of them and turned in a number of standout performances. Without him, Miami will now need to secure the No. 8 seed and mount a difficult playoff run.
When it comes to playing shorthanded, Adebayo stated, “We’ve had experience with that.” “We need to unite and win, that’s what matters most to us.”
