Butler back at practice, Herro questionable. Plus Spoelstra on Miami Heat homestand

Jimmy Butler, who missed two games with a hip injury, was back at Miami Heat practice Sunday.

Considering the team’s 1-1 record without Butler (and that the loss came by just two points to the Indiana Pacers), coach Erik Spoelstra said it was reassuring to see Miami compete in close games without the six-time All-Star. But having him back on the court provides a much needed boost for the 4-6 squad.

“It feels good to have him running around fully healthy to all of us and get him ready for tomorrow night,” Spoelstra said.

Tyler Herro is questionable with a left ankle sprain for the Miami Heat’s game against the Portland Trailblazers on Monday at FTX Arena (8:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).

Omer Yurtseven (left ankle impingement) and Victor Oladipo (left knee tendinosis), will not play Monday. Yurtseven was seen shooting around on Sunday, though, and Spoelstra said he’s been making progress.

Nikola Jović, who didn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis for Friday’s loss to the Pacers because of a nose injury, participated in practice Sunday. He said he sustained the injury playing one-on-one with Dru Smith, who accidentally hit him with an elbow.

Spoelstra said had there been a home game Friday night, Jović would have probably been available. But they worried the pressure from flying would’ve exacerbated the injury and decided to keep him in Miami.

“Yeah, it was kind of a freakish deal,” Spoelstra said. “...He was probably a little frustrated and confused why he couldn’t jump on a flight and meet us in Indiana. But he really works behind the scenes, and there’s a lot of stuff that they do that’s live. So there’s been a lot more elbows and flying arms, all that stuff. That doesn’t slow him down at all.”

Can this homestand help the Heat create consistency?

The Heat’s four-game homestand begins Monday against the Trailblazers and ends Nov. 14 against the Phoenix Suns. In between it plays the Charlotte Hornets Thursday and Saturday.

Miami beat Portland 119-98 in Oregon last month. Since then the Heat has gone 2-3.

While there’s some familiarity between the two teams having met recently, Spoelstra said there’s uncertainty surrounding who will be available for Portland and possible momentum factors at play heading into this matchup.

Portland’s injury report listed Damian Lillard as questionable with a right calf strain. Gary Payton II (return to competition reconditioning) and Olivier Sarr (right wrist sprain) are listed as out. Anfernee Simons (left foot inflammation) is listed as doubtful, while Josh Hart (right ankle sprain) and Justise Winslow (right ankle sprain) are listed as probable.

The Trailblazers are coming off a big win over the Phoenix Suns without Lillard or Simons Friday (followed by a 102-82 loss to the same team Saturday), while Miami is headed home after a tough loss to the Pacers.

“We’re going to take it one at a time,” Spoelstra said when asked if this homestand could help Miami establish consistency. “I know that sounds like a cliché, but that’s where we are. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. We can’t think about this homestand. Our last homestand didn’t go the way we wanted it to. But we know we have a really tough opponent coming in. They’ll have our attention. And hopefully we can establish a game that’s more consistent [with] our identity. Our best version more often.”

Jović, who’s played 22 minutes in three regular season games, said he’s grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the team. While a 4-6 start isn’t exactly what many expected for a squad that missed the NBA Finals by one game last season, Jović said he’s confident in Miami’s ability to sort things out.

“We’re trying to accomplish what we were talking about at the training camp,” Jović said, alluding to wanting to compete for a championship. “Now we don’t look that good. I mean, you can see through our record. But we’re working hard and we’ll figure it out. …Like I said, it’s the same team that played last year and they went to almost the Finals. So there’s no question about it, how good we are. We’ll figure it out.”

This story was originally published November 6, 2022 at 1:57 PM.