Jimmy Butler's availability for Friday's NBA Play-In Tournament game between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls is in doubt after he sustained an injury in Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Shams Charania, Butler may have an MCL injury. He will undergo an MRI Thursday, to determine the extent of the injury, but the team expects Butler to miss multiple weeks.
The expectation is Miami's Jimmy Butler will be out multiple weeks, sources said. Butler remarkably played the final three quarters vs. 76ers last night with what is now feared to be an MCL injury. https://t.co/dEDMAuuXuN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2024
Butler appeared to injure his right knee in the first half after driving to the basket and colliding with Kelly Oubre, who landed on Butler's knee in the process. Butler continued to play in the game and logged 39 minutes in the 105-104 loss. However, he did not sound optimistic about his chances to bounce back quickly.
"I hope that I'm fine, I hope I wake up tomorrow and I can still stick and move, but right now I can't say that's the case," Butler said in a postgame interview. He was later seen limping out of the arena after the game.
Jimmy Butler limped out of Wells Fargo Center after the Heat's play-in loss.
(via @JakeLFischer) pic.twitter.com/xrb78IHM4d
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) April 18, 2024
The outcome of Butler's injury will have a huge impact on the Heat's chances to make the NBA Playoffs. They entered the play-in round with -550 odds to make the playoffs.
While Butler's status going forward remains in question, the Heat are hosting Friday's elimination game against the Bulls and opened as 3-point favorites at DraftKings sportsbook despite the injury news. They are -135 on the moneyline at the time of writing. Their odds to win the NBA title, which weren't particularly high to end the regular season have also taken a step back after Wednesday's loss. They moved from +4200 to +16000 after the loss and Butler's injury.
If the Heat win Friday against the Bulls, they will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference finals when they became the first No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals since 1999.
