Is Jimmy Butler's Health Or Victories Most Important At This Time?

Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler has never been a player to sit games for maintenance purposes.

Throughout his career, he has proven he can play through pain and rarely complained about extended minutes. So it was no surprise Butler was on the court Monday against the Golden State Warriors after missing the previous two games because of shoulder soreness.

"Was he 100 percent? No," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But you know how much that meant to everyone in the locker room that he was going to go out there just to prove to everybody how important these last two games were. He's just been doing around the clock treatment."

Butler led the Heat to victory with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. It was feared he would miss the final two games of the road trip entering the NBA All-Star weekend. That would have given him two weeks of rest before the Heat's first game after the intermission. Butler will likely play Wednesday at Utah.

With the Heat locked in the tight Eastern Conference playoffs race, they know the importance of each victory. They are 2.5 games back of the Boston Celtics for the No. 3 spot and just 2.5 ahead of the No. 5 Philadelphia 76ers. The staff felt risking further injury was worth the gamble. It was also more opportunity to help Butler get acclimated with new teammates Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder.

"We look like a totally different team when our max player is out there," Spoelstra said. "He makes it look a little bit smoother, a little bit more settled with our offense. The ball gets to the right places. He finds a way to get to the free throw line, all these things that are necessary when you want to win on the road ... It's great to have him back out there."