Miami Heat Awaiting the Status of Injured Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat have bigger things to worry about than losing a second straight road game.

Not only did the Heat lose to the Golden State Warriors 115-108, they sustained another setback when star forward Jimmy Butler left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. It was the second time Butler injured the ankle in a week.

“If you talk to Jimmy right now, he says he’s fine,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ll have to evaluate him.”

The Butler injury is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Heat. They have been without center Bam Adebayo (thumb surgery) while also dealing with several players in the COVID-19 protocols. The Butler news spoiled the return of forward P.J. Tucker, who was back in the lineup after missing six games with a leg injury.

Butler led the Heat with 22 points while Caleb Martin had 19. Guard Tyler Herro finished with 18 points and Kyle Lowry had 16 points and 11 assists. Omer Yurtseven had a career-high 17 rebounds.

The Heat refused to use the Butler injury as an excuse. They trailed by six when he exited but feel they still had chances to win.

“We had our opportunities,” Spoelstra said. “It wasn’t about Jimmy being out ... “We were right there. We put ourselves in position to win and they made more plays.”

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