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Miami Heat Make Critical Injury Announcement vs Pistons

Before Tuesday's NBA Cup game between the Heat and the Pistons, Miami announced they would miss a key player.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

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For the first set of NBA Cup action on Tuesday night, the Detroit Pistons will go toe-to-toe with the Miami Heat, who will miss a key player in Jimmy Butler.

According to the Heat’s injury report, Butler has been ruled out for the night. He is currently dealing with a right ankle sprain. The return of the All-Star forward is currently unknown.

Butler started the year off healthy. Unfortunately, the November 8 matchup against the Denver Nuggets featured just seven minutes of Butler on the court. When he left the game, he had just two points, one rebound, and two assists.

Leading up to the matchup against the Nuggets, Butler appeared in seven games for the Heat. He was averaging 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists while making nearly 50 percent of his shots from the field.

When the Heat took on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, Butler was not present. Still, Miami managed to make it out of Minnesota with a one-point win. They are 4-5 on the year heading into Detroit on Tuesday night.

@MiamiHEAT: #MIAvsDET INJURY UPDATE: Jimmy Butler (ankle) has been ruled out of tomorrow night's game vs the Pistons.

Since joining the Heat in 2019, Butler has faced the Pistons nine times. Earlier this year, the Heat and the Pistons battled it out. Miami was looking for its seventh-straight win over the Pistons. At the time, Butler was present for the matchup.

In 34 minutes, Butler made 63 percent of his shots from the field to score 23 points. He also accounted for seven assists, four rebounds, and four steals. The Heat defeated the Pistons 106-98.

Since then, the Pistons have proven to be a much tougher opponent this year. They’ve won four out of their last seven games since picking up their first victory on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Miami might be shorthanded against the Pistons on Tuesday, but they remain a tough opponent. Last season, they achieved a winning record of 13-9 in the absence of Butler. The two teams will begin battling it out at 7 PM ET.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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