Jimmy Butler, a heat guard, is out of the play-in game due to a sprained MCL.
Jimmy Butler, a guard for the Tyler Herro, sustained a sprained right MCL during the first half of the Heat’s 105-104 Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Typically, such an injury takes at least four weeks to heal. The Heat announced on Thursday that Butler would miss Friday’s SoFi Play-In Tournament game against the Chicago Bulls. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic, Butler is expected to miss several weeks due to the injury.The incident occurred late in the first quarter when Butler attempted to fake out Kelly Oubre Jr. on a bucket, only for Oubre to appear to land on the Heat star, who is known for leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2023. “I fell, he landed and my knee just didn’t do well, I guess,” Butler said. “I don’t know. It’s not a good feeling, I can tell you that.” Butler sank the free throw, exhaled, and missed the second one. As the game progressed, Butler’s mobility seemed to worsen, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stated after the game that Butler’s knee kept getting stiffer and stiffer”. Butler was 2 for 4 from the field.
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.
A number of players, notably All-Star big man Bam Adebayo and talented swingman Tyler Herro, will have to carry a heavier scoring load in Butler’s absence. Adebayo took nine shots against the 76ers and finished with ten points and twelve rebounds. Herro finished with a team-high 25 points despite taking a team-high 27 attempts, shooting just 33.3% overall and 28.6% from 3-point range throughout the defeat.
Due to a neck injury, Miami has been without starting point guard Terry Rozier for the past two weeks.
