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As the Miami Heat prepare for Saturday’s Game 3 against the New York Knicks, many fans are wondering about the status of Jimmy Butler. Butler went down with an injury to his right ankle in Game 1 and was sidelined for Tuesday’s Game 2.
As of Thursday, the team has yet to provide any update on the star wing’s ankle. However, veteran forward Kevin Love did offer some encouraging insight.
Love told “The Miami Herald’s” Barry Jackson that Butler doesn’t seem to be limping very much.
“He’s not limping too much and seems to be getting treatment around the clock,” he said Thursday.
According to Tim Reynolds of the “Associated Press,” head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t release any new details of Butler’s injury.
“No update. … I’m not going to get into all the minutiae of it,” Spoelstra told Reynolds. “When we find out how he is feeling on Saturday, we’ll let you know. That’s what the deal is.”
Adding Butler back into the lineup would be huge for the Heat in Game 3. The 33-year-old has been nothing short of excellent for them so far in the playoffs. “Playoff Jimmy” has averaged 35.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists through Miami’s first six playoff-games. He’s been efficient in his scoring too, knocking down 58.5% of his attempts from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.
Jimmy Butler Flips Off Knicks Fans After Heat Lose Game 2
The number one reason that Heat fans should feel hopeful for Butler to suit up in Game 3, is the massive break between it and Tuesday’s Game 2. The long three-day gap should give the six-time All-Star plenty of time to heal, though nothing is guaranteed.
Maybe the second-most encouraging thing surrounding Butler’s potential-return was the little jab he threw at Knicks fans, after the final buzzer of Tuesday’s 111-105 loss.
As he and his teammates walked off the floor, Miami’s No. 22 turned to the crowd and flipped them the bird.
Again, there’s been no official notion that Butler will be back for Game 3, but it’s hard to believe that he’d give the Madison Square Garden the finger, if he didn’t feel he’d be good to go for the next meeting.
Jimmy Butler’s Grit ‘Inspired’ Rest of Heat Players
Though Miami was without their superstar in Game 2, they still gave New York quite the scare. The Heat actually had a lead heading into the fourth quarter and remained competitive throughout. Perhaps the inspiration that Butler’s Heat teammates felt in Game 1, when he didn’t check out of the game after rolling his ankle, carried over into the next matchup.
“This group has been through a lot… and we’re not being insensitive to when guys get nicked up or get hurt, but our group has learned to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand…” Spoelstra told reporters on Sunday afternoon via Bally Sports Sun. “We’ve had probably more practice than anybody else in having to step up when guys get hurt, but that certainly is inspiring that he would not come out of the game and to be able to finish the game. Just infused a bunch of confidence to the rest of the guys that we have to finish this off.”
