Why Did Jimmy Butler Not Play During The Miami Heat’s Fourth Quarter Comeback?

The Milwaukee Bucks appeared on their way to a blowout victory over the Miami Heat after leading by 25 points in the fourth quarter.

However, Miami made a late comeback, closing the lead to eight points late in the game. During this stretch, Heat superstar Jimmy Butler remained on the bench. The Heat were also without center Bam Adebayo, who was sidelined with a hip injury.

After the narrow defeat, coach Erik Spoelstra shared why Butler stayed on the sideline.

"Those guys earned that. I know that always becomes some kind of discourse out there,” Spoelstra said. “Do you put your guys back in? It still was a double-digit lead. At that point, everybody had cooled off so much.”

The Heat’s biggest lead of the game was in the first quarter, where they led by five. Butler got off to a hot start but slowed down, finishing the night with 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

With Adebayo and Butler on the bench in the closing minutes, guard Tyler Herro thrived. He wrapped up the game with 35 points and eight rebounds on 57.1 percent shooting.

The Heat move to 1-3 on the year after their third straight loss on the road. They will not have the ability to replicate their historic postseason success from last season, especially after losing Max Strus and Gabe Vincent in free agency.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat.

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