Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler is known as one of the toughest players in the NBA.
But even plucky Butler couldn’t avoid the effects of the knee injury he suffered in the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler played until the end, but was not his usual self after the difficult fall at the beginning.
“I felt like I couldn’t do too much, which sucks with the timing of the game and everything else,” Butler said. “I hope I’m okay. I hope I wake up tomorrow and can still stand and move. At the moment I can’t stay, that’s the case.
Butler finished with 19 points on 5 of 18 shooting in 40 minutes. He will undergo an MRI Thursday in Miami to determine his playing status for Friday’s playoff game against the Chicago Bulls. A report from Shams Charania stated that Butler could be dealing with an MCL issue.
“It really got tougher in the second half,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “As the second half went on, it started to limit him a little more… We have no idea. We’ll see when we get back to Miami.”
After reaching the NBA Finals last year, the Heat are now in danger of missing the playoffs. Friday will be even more difficult if Butler is unavailable.
“We’ll do it the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “This has to be the way forward right now. We will rest, heal, regroup, prepare for Friday. Again, embrace those competitive games. It will be competitive in front of our home fans.
