Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat will be out for Tuesday night’s Game 2 against the New York Knicks after suffering from a sprained ankle. The injury happened with a little over five minutes left of the fourth quarter during Game 1 of the series where the Miami Heat won. Butler drove to his right on Knicks guard Josh Hart when he felt contact from Hart, making him rise up for a shot. Hart fell and at the same time kicked Butler’s right ankle. Butler immediately fell to the ground and remained on the floor for a few minutes before slowly walking toward the Heat bench. Despite this, Butler remained in the game, but his injury was clearly seen as his performance was compromised. He finished the game with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 43 minutes and 27 seconds of work.
Game 3 of the series will be held in Miami. Butler’s absence came just a day after he was selected to the All-NBA Third Team, marking his fourth All-NBA selection. Butler has been instrumental to the Heat’s success this season, with his contributions helping the team climb into the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Butler’s presence on the court and his leadership skills will be missed, and the Heat will have to rely on their other key players like Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro to step up and make a difference in their upcoming game.
Butler’s absence will be a major setback to the Miami Heat, especially since they are going up against the Knicks, who are known to be tough competitors. The Miami Heat will have to adjust and develop a new game plan without their star player. On the other hand, the Knicks will be capitalizing on the absence of Butler, and they will be aiming to bounce back from the loss in Game 1. With Game 3 of the series being held in Miami, the Heat will have the home-court advantage, but it remains to be seen if they can take advantage of it without their star player. The team will need to come up with innovative strategies and be flexible enough to improvise to keep their winning streak going.
