NBA
Why isn’t Jimmy Butler playing against the Celtics in game 5 today?
The Miami Heat forward has missed all four of the playoff games so far with his team 3-1 down in the series.
Jimmy Butler has watched from the sidelines as an injury-ravaged Miami Heat have struggled in their first round playoff series against the No.1 seeds, the Boston Celtics. Butler is one of four players on the Heat’s casualty list and while he is eager to get back out on court and “start hooping”, it’s looking increasingly unlikely we will see him do that during the postseason.
What injury does Jimmy Butler have?
The 34-year-old sustained an MCL (medial collateral ligament) tear during the Play-In matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on 18 April. Sixers shooting guard Kelly Oubre Jr. inadvertently landed on Butler and it looked ominous for the power-forward who was seen hobbling back to the locker room at the end of the first quarter. Surprisingly, he returned to the court to shoot 19 points, five assists and five steals but his knee issues persist. Depending on the severity of the injury, a sprained MCL can take up to eight weeks to heal and Butler will likely miss the entire first-round series against Boston, which could run through to Sunday 5 May if the Heat can bounce back and take it to Game 7.
Butler is ruled out of Game 5 at TD Garden along with Jaime Jaquez Jr, who picked up a hip flexor strain in Game 4 and Terry Rozier who has a neck issue. Josh Richardson is out long-term after undergoing surgery on his shoulder back in March. Head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jaquez Jr: “He’s tight in his upper leg. He went into the locker room, came back out but was just not moving the way we normally like to see him... We’ll find out tomorrow”.
Butler meanwhile continues to receive treatment but the Heat have not given any new updates on when he could return.
He averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 49.9 percent from the field in 60 games played in 2023-24, slightly down on his figures for the previous season but he was still the team’s joint top scorer tied with Tyler Herro.
Game 5 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday 1 May at TD Garden in Boston. A home victory for the Cs would see the Heat’s postseason come to an end.