Miami are preparing for Game 3 against the Knicks on Saturday and many fans are wondering if Jimmy (or Himmy) Butler will take the court after he suffered an ankle injury in Game 1.
Heat forward and all-round nice guy Kevin Love provided some positive insight into Butler’s status.
“He’s not limping too much and seems to be getting treatment around the clock,” Love told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald on Thursday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was a little more tight lipped about the details of Butler’s status.
“No update. … I’m not going to get into all the minutiae of it,” Spoelstra said. “When we find out how he is feeling on Saturday, we’ll let you know. That’s what the deal is.”
Butler rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and missed Game 2 because of it.
The Knicks were able to tie the series with a 111-105 Game 2 win, so having Butler back on the court would be a huge boost for Miami in Game 3.
The star wing has reached crazy heights so far this postseason, where he averaged 35.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 58.5 percent of shots from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc in first six playoff games.
After Game 2, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said his team were ready for a Butler return at any time.
“You already know the answer to that,” Thibodeau said. “We will. That’s sort of the nature of the beast right now for everyone. You go in, you know guys are nicked-up this time of the year and so there’s always possibilities that guys could be in or out. … If Jimmy’s available, then we’ll have a plan for him.”