Jimmy Butler suffered a knee injury during the Miami Heat’s 105-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, and it does not sound like he is expected to be back on the floor anytime soon.
Butler had a breakaway opportunity at the end of the first quarter of his team’s loss at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. He was injured and appeared to be in significant pain after a Sixers defender fell on him. Butler managed to remain in the game and ended up playing 40 of a possible 48 minutes in the contest, but it was later revealed that he sustained an MCL injury.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Butler will likely miss multiple weeks with the injury.
Because they lost to the Sixers, the Heat will host the Chicago Bulls in the final play-in tournament game on Friday with a chance to earn the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. It doesn’t sound like Butler will be available for that game.
Even if they earn the No. 8 seed, the odds will be heavily stacked against the Heat going forward. They already would have been a huge underdog against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Without Butler, the Heat have even less of a chance.
