The Miami Heat are looking to take a 3-1 series lead against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday night. All that Miami needs to accomplish is defending homecourt and it will be in the driver’s seat moving forward.
Jimmy Butler missed Game 2 with a sprained ankle but returned for Game 3 and had his worst game of the entire 2023 playoffs. Well, that is just because Butler set the expectations very high. The forward ended the game with 28 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 9-of-21 shooting from the field.
Butler will be ready to go for the Game 4 matchup; however, Heat center Bam Adebayo has landed on the injury report with right shoulder discomfort. Will Adebayo be able to participate in Monday night’s Game 4 matchup or will Miami be at a deficit?
Related: Small skirmish breaks out in Game 3 of New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat
Miami Heat give big update on Bam Adebayo’s status for Game 4 against the New York Knicks
The Heat have been completely plagued with the injury bug throughout the 2023 playoffs but against all odds, the team has continued to march forward. They sit two games away from another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and a chance at another NBA Finals appearance.
First, Miami needs to take down New York. The team has been without guards Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo as they suffered bad injuries. Herro broke his shooting hand while diving to the floor in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks while Oladipo tore his left patellar tendon two games later.
Butler’s sprained ankle happened in Game 1 against the Knicks while his thigh issue occurred during Game 3. The thigh won’t be an issue moving forward but the ankle still remains an issue that Miami hopes to see heal quickly.
Meanwhile, Caleb Martin is nursing a back issue and remains questionable for Game 4. It has been a brutal postseason in terms of injuries and the Heat’s last injury update took the breath of some Heat fans away.
Miami added Adebayo to the injury report on the morning of Game 3 and stated it was due to right shoulder discomfort. However, the worst outcome will not happen as Adebayo will play with a compression shirt now.
The Heat absolutely need Adebayo as Knicks forward Julius Randle was completely shut down in Game 3 due to his defense. The center is already dealing with a hamstring issue but it has gotten better throughout the postseason.
If the Heat want to find themselves in the NBA Finals for the first time since the Bubble during the 2019-2020 season, it will take a healthy Butler and Adebayo to lead the way.
