Heat to face Suns on Saturday without Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn
The Miami Heat knew Friday that it would be without two starters against the Phoenix Suns. On Saturday, the Heat ruled out its sixth man for the game.
Dragic, who was listed as questionable entering the contest, will miss his second consecutive game on Saturday because of a sprained left ankle. The veteran guard suffered the injury late in Tuesday’s win over the Boston Celtics, when he landing awkwardly on his ankle.
“He’s not going to play tonight, but he is making progress,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Dragic less than two hours before tip-off Saturday.
The Heat will also face the Suns without starters Jimmy Butler (right foot soreness) and Kendrick Nunn (personal reasons), and rookie forward KZ Okpala (personal reasons). Without Butler, Dragic, Nunn and Okpala, the Heat has 13 available players against Phoenix.
Two-way contract guard Gabe Vincent, who was listed as probable with right knee soreness, will be available against the Suns and is a candidate to be lifted into Miami’s rotation Saturday because of the shorthanded roster.
It marks the third consecutive game Butler has missed with what the team is now officially listing as foot soreness, and the 14th game he has missed this season for various reasons. A source said it’s primarily the ankle that is currently bothering him.
An MRI and X-ray revealed no structural damage, and Spoelstra has said rest remains the best treatment and has offered no timetable for his return. The hope is that Butler will be ready for the start of the playoffs, if not sooner.
Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, told The Miami Herald on Friday: “Jimmy had his final scan yesterday. And we understand what he’s dealing with. And he’s working his butt off to get back on the floor ASAP and to be ready for the playoffs.”
Butler, 30, played in Miami’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. The 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.
As for Nunn, he’ll miss Saturday’s game against Phoenix because of personal reasons and has left the NBA bubble, according to multiple sources.
Nunn has left the bubble for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, according to a source. He’s expected back soon, according to another source, but it’s undetermined how many days he will be required to quarantine when he returns to Disney.
“He’s not back yet,” Spoelstra said of Nunn before Saturday’s game. “And we’ll have more information tomorrow.”
Length of quarantines are up to the discretion of the NBA and depend on access to testing, where a player was during his absence and other factors. Nunn is expected to have access to testing while he’s away.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson served a four-day quarantine when he returned to the NBA campus after he left to tend to a family medical emergency. Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams was placed in a 10-day quarantine after he left to attend a funeral, but he was also found to have dined at a gentleman’s club in Atlanta.
The expectation is Nunn will be back in uniform and available for the Aug. 17 start of the NBA playoffs or potentially sooner.
Nunn, who was named Saturday as one of three finalists for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, played in each of the Heat’s first four seeding games. He averaged 7.8 points while shooting 32.4 percent from the field and 25 percent on threes in 20.9 minutes during that four-game stretch.
This story was originally published August 8, 2020 at 5:48 PM.
