Heat’s Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic back from injury, will play Monday vs. Pacers
The Miami Heat will have Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic available for Monday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said less than two hours before tip-off that Butler (right foot soreness) and Dragic (sprained left ankle) will play against the Pacers. Both Butler and Dragic were previously listed as questionable with their respective injuries after returning to practice Sunday.
But Miami will still be without rookie guard Kendrick Nunn, who is quarantining in his hotel room for four days upon re-entering the NBA bubble on Sunday morning, according to a league source. He’s also expected to miss Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder based on this timeline, with Nunn expected to be cleared from quarantine on Thursday if he continues to test negative for COVID-19 each day.
Rookie forward KZ Okpala (personal reasons) also remains out.
Butler, who missed the past three games because of a sore foot, 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 entered Monday averaging team-highs in points (20.2), assists (6.1) and steals (1.7) in his first season with the Heat.
With Butler available, all eyes will be on his matchup against Pacers forward T.J. Warren that grew contentious and ended with Warren’s ejection the last time Miami and Indiana faced off Jan. 8 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Warren, who was previously listed as questionable because of a sore right foot, will play Monday against the Heat.
Dragic, who missed the past two games because of a sprained ankle, was off a strong start at Disney before the injury, 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. Miami’s sixth man entered Monday averaging 16.2 points on 44.1 percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds and five assists this season.
This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 6:18 PM.
