The Miami Heat may have lost more than just a game in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night.
Star Jimmy Butler is feared to have suffered an MCL injury to his knee, which could keep him sidelined indefinitely. Reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. After the match.
Charania said Butler will undergo an MRI scan, but it is unclear whether he will be able to play in Friday’s tournament elimination game.
“I didn’t feel like I could do much,” Butler told reporters about his knee condition. According to the Sun Sentinel.
Butler went down hard while trying to get to the basket late in the first quarter, and was seen limping off the court after the loss.
The 76ers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. flew over him trying to protect the basket, and Butler immediately began grabbing his right knee as he fell to the ground.
Although he remained in the game, ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen noted that Butler was limping for the remainder of the game.
A video of Butler leaving the Wells Fargo Center after the game with a significant limp was also released.
“He really gives himself and I really appreciate that competitive spirit.” Heat manager Erik Spoelstra had this to say about Butler after the game: “His demeanor really stiffened in the second half. Then in the second quarter he was still able to move a little bit. But as the second half went on, his movement started to become a little bit more limited, but you can tell. .
“I don’t know now, but I’ll know when I get back to Miami.”
Butler finished the game with 19 points, with five steals and five assists in 40 minutes of playing time.
He grabbed four rebounds and made 5 of 18 from the field.
