Heat’s Jimmy Butler injures knee in play-in loss, set for MRI

PHILADELPHIA — The Warmth worry guard Jimmy Butler sustained a doable MCL damage to his proper knee throughout Miami’s 105-104 play-in event loss to the 76ers on Wednesday night time, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Butler was damage on the ultimate play of the primary quarter in Philadelphia, when after leaking out for a possible fast-break layup, he tried to faux out Kelly Oubre Jr. to try to make a layup, solely to have his knee buckle after it appeared Oubre landed on it, inflicting Butler to fall to the ground in ache.

“I fell, he landed and my knee simply did not do nicely, I suppose,” mentioned Butler, who mentioned he’ll be getting an MRI on his knee Thursday. “I do not know. It isn’t a great feeling, I can inform you that.”

After spending an prolonged time frame on the bottom, Butler finally received to his ft and cut up the 2 free throws.

Butler remained within the recreation however scored a complete of 12 factors the remainder of the way in which on 3-for-14 taking pictures, as Miami’s offense dried up after taking a 12-point halftime lead, permitting Philadelphia to come back from behind and shut out the win.

Now, the query is whether or not Butler can be obtainable to play when Miami hosts Chicago on Friday night time, with the winner getting the No. 8 seed.

“It felt like I could not do an excessive amount of, which sucks with the timing of the sport and the whole lot,” Butler mentioned. “I hope that I am superb. I hope that I get up tomorrow and may nonetheless stick-and-move. Proper now, I can not say that is the case.”

The Warmth are in precisely the identical scenario they had been in final yr: taking part in at dwelling to make the playoffs as an eighth seed. The winner of Friday’s matchup heads to Boston to play the Celtics on Sunday afternoon.

“We simply must get one after which we’ll fear in regards to the subsequent one,” Butler mentioned.

Butler stayed within the recreation hoping that sooner or later “adrenaline would sit back in,” and he’d be capable of summon the flexibility to take over down the stretch. As an alternative, he went 3-for-10 within the second half and solely took two photographs within the fourth quarter — together with none within the remaining 4 minutes.

“It simply wasn’t the case,” he mentioned. “I wasn’t capable of do something on both facet of the ball. I feel I damage us greater than I helped us truly.”

The Athletic was first to report Butler’s doable MCL damage.