Heat’s Jimmy Butler ruled out for Tuesday’s game vs. Bucks because of ankle injury
As expected, the Miami Heat will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night without one of its All-Stars.
The Heat will be without wing Jimmy Butler (sprained right ankle) for Tuesday’s game at AmericanAirlines Arena. Butler was listed as doubtful for the contest before he was formally ruled out on the injury report issued at 5:30 p.m. just two hours before tip-off.
Butler, 31, injured his right ankle during Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic, but he attempted to play through the injury on Christmas Day against the New Orleans Pelicans. Butler recorded four points, six rebounds and five assists 16 first-half minutes in Friday’s win over the Pelicans, but right ankle stiffness forced him to miss the second half.
Without Butler, the Heat used its third different starting lineup in the third game of the season. Miami started a lineup of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Moe Harkless, Bam Adebayo and Meyers Leonard on Tuesday.
Butler hasn’t yet been ruled out for Wednesday’s home matchup against the Bucks, the back end of the Heat’s back-to-back two-game “series” in Miami designed to reduce travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t want to get into percentages,” Spoelstra said Tuesday when asked whether Butler would also miss Wednesday’s game. “He’s out tonight and we’ll continue to re-evaluate him every day.”
Following the Heat’s back-to-back set against the Bucks, Miami travels for a quick one-game trip to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Butler missed 15 regular-season games last season — five games because of personal reasons, four because of right foot soreness, two because of a right shoulder strain, one because of a left big toe injury, one because of right hip soreness, one because of lower back soreness and one because of an illness. The Heat posted a 6-9 record in the 15 games Butler missed.
In Wednesday’s season opener, the only complete game he has played this season, Butler finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, three rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
