Jimmy Butler travels with Miami Heat to Dallas and is probable for Friday’s game
The Miami Heat appears poised to get Jimmy Butler back for the start of the new year.
Butler traveled with the Heat (2-2) to Dallas on Thursday and is probable for Friday’s game against the Mavericks (7 p.m., Fox Sports Sun) because of a sprained right ankle.
The All-Star wing has missed the past two games with his ankle injury, sitting out the Heat’s back-to-back home set against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Also on the Heat’s injury report for Friday’s game: Center Kelly Olynyk is listed as probable with a left knee contusion and two-way contract guard Gabe Vincent is probable with right knee soreness.
The NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols recommends that “teams should consider not including in the traveling party a player who is not expected to play in any games on an upcoming road trip” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the fact Butler traveled with the Heat on Thursday suggests he’s close to a return.
If Butler can’t play Friday, his next opportunity to play would be in Monday’s home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Butler, 31, injured his right ankle during last week’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 in Wednesday’s win over the Bucks, the Heat used its fourth different starting lineup in the fourth game of the season: Tyler Herro, Avery Bradley, Duncan Robinson, Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Heat has used four different starting lineups in the season’s first four games.
The Heat is 1-1 without Butler this season. Miami was 6-9 in the 15 games Butler missed last season.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 3:56 PM.
