Miami Heat‘s star Jimmy Butler is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks after sustaining a right MCL injury in Wednesday’s loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler OUT
Butler suffered this injury in the final play of the first quarter against Philly. While he remained in the game, he only scored 19 points on 5-of-18 shooting in 40 minutes of play. The Heat lost to the 76ers 105-104 after having a 12-point lead going into halftime.
After an attempted layup, Butler tried to fake out Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre jr, only to have his knee buckle under him after it looked as though Oubre had landed on top of it, causing Butler to collapse to the floor.
The expectation is Miami’s Jimmy Butler will be out multiple weeks, sources said. Butler remarkably played the final three quarters vs. 76ers last night with what is now feared to be an MCL injury. https://t.co/dEDMAuuXuN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2024
Butler told the media after the game that he hopes to get an MRI on Thursday and have some good news, adding “I hope that I wake up tomorrow and can still stick-and-move. Right now, I can’t say that’s the case.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that as the game went on, the injury really started to limit Butler’s abilities to play to his fullest potential, adding “We have no idea. We’ll see when we get back to Miami.”
Heat’s Playoff Probabilities
Prior to Butler suffering this injury, the Miami Heat had a pretty decent shot making it to the postseason again. After making it to the NBA Finals last year, the goal of the team is to get there once again. However, with the Heat facing the Bulls on Friday for that shot, chances become a little more difficult.
“We will do this the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “That has to be the path right now. We’re going to rest up, treat up, rally around each other, get ready for Friday. Again, embrace these competitive games. It will be competitive in front of our home fans.”