The Heat will face Bucks on Thursday without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic. Here’s why
The Miami Heat will face the Milwaukee Bucks without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic.
Butler (right foot soreness) and Dragic (sprained left ankle) were ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Bucks — Miami’s fourth of eight seeding games at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. It marks the first game this season the Heat has had to play without both Butler and Dragic.
After missing Tuesday’s win over the Boston Celtics because of right ankle soreness, Butler missed Thursday’s game against the Bucks at Disney because of right foot soreness.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to Thursday’s game there has already been an X-ray and MRI done on Butler’s injured foot, and “at this point, it’s rest and recovery.”
“Jimmy, his foot is sore,” Spoelstra said. “We want to make sure that he’s feeling like he did even a week ago.”
While Butler’s injury is now officially listed as foot soreness, it’s primarily the ankle that is bothering him, according to a league source. It’s not considered a serious issue at this point, and the hope is he’ll return to the court sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Dragic was listed as questionable on Wednesday’s injury report because of a sprained left ankle, but he was ruled out for Thursday’s game less than two hours before tip-off. The veteran guard limped off the court with 5.2 seconds to play in Tuesday’s victory over the Celtics after landing awkwardly on his ankle, with the Heat announcing later that night that an X-ray on his injured ankle returned negative.
“Goran, obviously you saw at the end of the game with a sprained ankle,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Moving around a lot better, had a really good day yesterday and today of treatment.”
Although the Heat’s roster is deep, it can’t afford to lose Butler or Dragic for an extended period. But with the Aug. 17 start of the playoffs less than two weeks away, Miami also has to find a balance between jockeying for postseason position and making sure its players are healthy and rested for the playoffs.
The Heat, which is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, has already clinched a playoff spot.
Butler, 30, played in the Heat’s first two seeding games at Disney, averaging 19 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, 5.5 rebounds and six assists in 31.6 minutes. He finished Monday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes.
Butler, a five-time All-Star, is averaging team-highs in points (20.2), assists (6.1) and steals (1.7) in his first season with the Heat. Miami has outscored opponents by 227 points with Butler on the court.
The 34-year-old Dragic was off a strong start at Disney in his sixth man role, averaging 19.3 points on 51.5 percent shooting, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 26.6 minutes in the Heat’s first three seeding games. He scored 25 points in Monday’s loss to the Raptors and 20 points in Tuesday’s win over the Celtics.
Thursday marked the 13th game Butler has missed this season. Dragic has now missed 12 games this season.
The Heat’s next game is Saturday against the Phoenix Suns at 7:30 p.m. It’s still unclear whether Butler and/or Dragic will be able to play in that contest.
OKPALA, VINCENT ALSO OUT
In addition, Heat rookie forward KZ Okpala (personal reasons) and two-way contract rookie guard Gabe Vincent (knee soreness) missed Thursday’s contest.
Okpala was available for Miami’s first three seeding games, but he was made inactive in each one. Vincent was also available in each of the Heat’s first three seeding games, and was on the active roster for two of them.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 2:47 PM.
