Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are slated to take on the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks in a do-or-die NBA Play-In Game Friday night. The winner will have the unenviable task of going up against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
We’re now not too sure whether Jimmy Buckets will be able to go Friday or moving forward into the postseason.
The 2023 NBA Playoff hero pulled up lame late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with a right knee injury.
Butler immediately grabbed for the knee before finding himself down on the hardwood for some time. While he was able to remain in the game, it was clear that the future Hall of Famer was nowhere near 100%.
- Jimmy Butler stats (vs- Philadelphia): 5-of-18 shooting, 2-of-6 on 3-point, 19 points
Butler provided an update after the 105-104 loss. It’s not great. He told reporters he’ll have an MRI on the knee Thursday, adding “It had me feeling that I couldn’t do too much.”
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Impact of Jimmy Butler injury on the Miami Heat
Butler showed a tremendous amount of toughness while playing through the injury Wednesday night. But the MRI could change things. If it does show structural damage to the knee, it will be more about Miami’s medical team and coaching staff making the decision moving forward.
It’s not optimal for the defending Eastern Conference champions. They are already without guard Terry Rozier and wing Duncan Robinson. If Butler is not able to go Friday, it’s hard to imagine Miami finding the necessary scoring to win. Even if the team does, the aforementined MRI will be telling about Butler’s prognosis heading into the playoffs.
- Jimmy Butler stats (2023-24): 20.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.0 APG, 50% shooting
Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro shot just 9-of-27 from the field while committing five turnovers Wednesday evening against Philadelphia. Big man Bam Adebayo added a mere 10 points. Both were 20-point scorers during the regular season.