Jimmy Butler officially listed as questionable for Game 3
Heat forward Jimmy Butler, right, talks to forward Haywood Highsmith from the bench in the first half of Game 2 in the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
MIAMI — The condition of Jimmy Butler’s right ankle continues to be a topic of non-stop conjecture as the Heat prepare to host the Knicks Saturday for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Butler was not on the court when the media were let in at the end of practice Friday. When asked whether Butler practiced, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said “he’s working” and then said he would have an update for the media shortly before the game on Saturday. The Heat officially listed Butler as questionable on their injury report on Friday.
“We know what his intentions are,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll just see.”
Late Thursday night, Butler went the extra mile to stoke the heated debate over his availability when he posted videos of him working out with some Heat personnel in the team’s empty arena. He also posted a single photo of his right foot/ankle as if to prove there wasn’t any swelling.
Butler sprained his ankle late in the Heat’s 108-101 win in the series opener when he collided with the Knicks' Josh Hart. He stayed in the game despite the fact that the ankle was clearly bothering him. Butler missed Game 2 on Tuesday night and the Knicks were able to even the series with a 111-105 victory.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said the team has game planned to play the Heat both with and without Butler.
"The good thing about the situation that we just went through is we played one game where he played and one game where he didn't play," Thibodeau said. "So we know the style of play, what he brings, how they'll be different when he plays. We also know how they'll play when he doesn't play.”
When he does play, Butler has been close to unstoppable in the postseason. In six games, he’s averaged 35.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 58.5% from the floor and 42.9% from deep. Entering Friday, Butler led the league in scoring during the playoffs, ranking just ahead of Phoenix’s Devin Booker, who took a 35.4 per game average into Game 3 of the Suns’ series against Denver Friday night.
The last time Butler played a home game, he scored a career-high 56 points to lift the Heat to a 119-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of their first-round series.
Butler has not told his teammates how the ankle feels or if he is planning to play in Saturday’s game.
“I don’t know. Jimmy is a different character,” Bam Adebayo said when asked what Butler’s mindset was going into the game. “It’s just by how he handles certain injuries. I feel he’s a warrior in that aspect because he won’t tell you how he truly feels. I feel like he just has that will to win and he will go out there 50 percent, 60 percent. He’ll tell you he’s fine.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
More NBA news
