Even without Jimmy Butler (knee) in the mix for the second half, the Miami Heat were able to take out the Boston Celtics Saturday evening.
Miami took a 2-1 series lead with a 109-103 win over a mistake-prone Celtics squad on the road. A win on Monday, and the Heat will take a stranglehold on the series. Unfortunately, the team could very well be short-handed.
One day before they take on the Celtics in Game 4, the Heat have officially listed six players as questionable for the game. That includes Butler, who is said to be suffering from knee inflammation.
Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Max Strus (hamstring), Gabe Vincent (hamstring), P.J. Tucker (knee) and Tyler Herro (groin) are all also listed as questionable on Miami’s latest injury report.
Given how physical Game 3 was Saturday evening, it’s no surprise that Miami’s injury report is pretty big. However, the Butler situation warrants more attention than the rest. All of the five other players finished up shop to help Miami take a 2-1 series lead. For his part, Butler did not come back out after halftime.
Related: Takeaways from Miami Heat’s Game 3 win over the Boston Celtics
Jimmy Butler injury status for Game 4
Butler missed Game 5 of Miami’s first-round series win over the Atlanta Hawks with the same injury. Following Saturday’s win, it was noted that he’s likely to go Monday in Game 4.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra noted Saturday evening that Butler won’t have to undergo an MRI. Meanwhile, multiple media reports indicate that he should be good to go.
- Jimmy Butler stats (2022 NBA Playoffs): 28.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 54% shooting
As you can see, Butler has been playing absolutely stellar basketball thus far in the playoffs. Even if he’s not at 100%, the wing is a difference-maker on both ends of the court.
Miami can pretty much put a wrap on this series if it is able to win Game 4 in Boston Monday evening. That would give the Heat a 3-1 series lead heading back to South Beach for Game 5. Yeah, Butler would’t want to miss out on that opportunity.