Report: Heat's Jimmy Butler's Ankle Swollen to 'Size of a Baseball' After Injury | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler was the worse for wear immediately after his team's 108-101 victory over the New York Knicks in the 2023 NBA playoffs.
It looked like Butler would have to come out of the game after he suffered an ankle injury, though he continued to playing—albeit with a noticeable limp.
The trouble may not be over for the six-time All-Star. Following Miami's win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, the New York Daily News' Kristian Winfield reported Butler's ankle "is swollen to about the size of a baseball."
Butler registered little impact in the final minutes of Game 1 thanks to the injury, much to the consternation of some who thought New York should've attacked him more defensively.
John Schuhmann @johnschuhmannButler didn't touch the ball on the 4 offensive possessions after his injury. Heat still scored 5 points, while the Knicks turned it over on 3 of 4 & didn't make him defend anybody.
John Hollinger @johnhollingerButler can't move, just decoying in left corner, but Knicks not attacking him
There's no chance the Heat are that fortunate again in Game 2. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau and his staff might already be devising ways they can exploit Butler's injury moving forward.
Granted, it's not yet clear whether he will even get the green light for Tuesday night.
"You just don't know with ankle sprains," head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "I don't even know if we'll know more by tomorrow. We'll just have to see. It'll be a waiting game. You just don't know with ankle sprains. I don't even know if we'll know more by tomorrow. We'll just have to see. It'll be a waiting game."
The teams have a three-day gap between Games 2 and 3, which will give Butler more time to recuperate if he's unavailable Tuesday or playing at less than 100 percent.
The 6'7" forward was incandescent in Miami's first-round upset of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 37.6 points on 59.7 percent shooting. The start of the Eastern Conference Semifinals was more of the same, as he dropped a double-double (25 points and 11 rebounds) to open the series.
The significance of the ankle injury largely goes without saying, and Game 1 could epitomize a pyrrhic victory for the Heat. Butler's status will be closely followed in the coming days.
