Austin Konenski
The Miami Heat entered Game 3 looking to bounce back after losing Game 2 during the fourth quarter in Madison Square Garden. Well, the Heat firmly established their foot on the game in the opening possessions.
Bam Adebayo locked up Julius Randle on the defensive end of the floor which led to an easy basket for Jimmy Butler on the other end. From that point on, Butler, who returned from his ankle sprain after missing Game 2, led the way with 28 points en route to a commanding Heat victory.
It didn’t come without some controversy when Heat center Cody Zeller pushed Randle and caused a mini-scuffle near the end of the third quarter. It also didn’t come without a scare when Butler took a hard fall that gave him a limp.
Related: Miami Heat rebound in Game 3: Top takeaways from win over Knicks
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra comments on Jimmy Butler’s new injury
Butler missed Game 2 with a sprained ankle but it didn’t seem to hamper him throughout Game 3. The NBA’s best playoff riser scored 10+ points in the first quarter and looked like his normal self from previous games.
However, Kaseya Arena went silent when Butler went down in the third quarter. It was obvious that he was limping and uncomfortable; however, he would stay in the game and return in the fourth quarter when the Knicks neared a 10-point deficit.
Following Game 3, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gave an update on Butler’s new injury. Thankfully for Heat fans, they should be able to breathe easy moving forward.
“(Jimmy Butler)’s fine. He’s not even icing that part of it. It was one of those stingers. He could’ve got back in earlier on.”
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler’s thigh injury in Game 3
The Heat can relax knowing Butler will be OK moving forward. Miami looked elite on the defensive end of the floor due to Butler’s impact and the entire flow of the offense was smoother than Game 2.
While the Heat looked solid enough in Game 2 to possibly win without Butler, it is clear they will need him at close to 100% moving forward. The 33-year-old did have his worst game of the 2023 playoffs with 28 points, four rebounds, and three assists but it was not a bad performance.
Miami will look to take its second 3-1 series lead of the playoffs on Monday and it appears Butler will be ready to go with even more rest of his thigh and ankle.
