Jimmy Butler among those out for Heat on Sunday vs. Pistons. Who’s in and who’s out?
Injuries continue to be a problem for the Miami Heat.
The Heat will be without most of its usual rotation for Sunday’s afternoon matchup against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Along with missing rotation regulars Tyler Herro (right foot medial tendintis), Nikola Jovic (right hamstring strain), Kevin Love (right heel bruise) and Josh Richardson (season-ending right shoulder surgery), the Heat ruled out star Jimmy Butler (right foot contusion) for Sunday’s game just a few hours before the 3 p.m. tipoff.
Cole Swider and Alondes Williams are also unavailable for Heat on Sunday because they are on G League assignments.
Butler suffered the injury when his right foot was stepped on during Friday’s victory over the Pistons in Detroit, but he was able to finish the game. Butler recorded 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 31 minutes during that win despite hurting his foot in the process.
The right foot was also an issue for Butler earlier this season, when he missed seven straight games in January because of a right toe MP joint sprain. Sunday marks the 20th game that Butler has missed this season because of various reasons.
But Butler’s current foot injury is not expected to keep him out for an extended period. He could make his return as soon as Monday against the 76ers in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun and ESPN) on the second night of the Heat’s road back-to-back.
“We’ll treat him day to day,” Spoelstra said of Butler. “His body will let us know.”
Jovic’s injury is also new, as he strained his right hamstring toward the end of Friday’s win over the Pistons.
“It happened in the second quarter,” Spoelstra said Sunday when asked about Jovic’s injury. “That’s why he went out of the game. He was feeling a little bit better yesterday and today. But his body will let us know. We’re doing treatment pretty much around the clock on a lot of these guys.”
With Butler a fixture in the Heat’s starting lineup and Jovic starting in each of his last 12 appearances, the Heat will be forced to make more changes to its starting lineup.
The Heat’s 11 available players on Sunday against the Pistons are: Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant, Jamal Cain, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caleb Martin, Patty Mills, Duncan Robinson, Orlando Robinson, Terry Rozier and Delon Wright.
This story was originally published March 17, 2024 at 11:51 AM.
