Is Heat's Jimmy Butler playing vs. Suns? Latest injury update
12/07/2024 12:23 PM
Looking to obtain a winning record for the fourth time in 2024-2025, the Miami Heat host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night in the second game of their current home stand. Star forward Jimmy Butler’s ongoing knee issue has kept him on the injury report, threatening his availability once again. Here is everything we know about Butler’s injury and his playing status against the Suns.
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Jimmy Butler injury status vs. Suns
While Butler recently sat out on Dec. 2 when the heat faced the Boston Celtics on the road, he is listed as probable to face the Suns. The game against Boston was the second leg of a back-to-back, likely causing him to sit out as a precaution.
Of Miami’s first 20 games on the year, Butler has appeared in 15 of them. He missed a handful of games earlier in the season with a sprained ankle. Butler has since picked up the knee issue that has kept him on the injury report.
When he has played, Butler is still arguably the Heat’s best overall player, even in his age-35 season. He is second on the team in points, assists and steals, with 18.7 points, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game thus far. Butler also chips in 5.4 rebounds per contest, good for third on the team. Despite no longer being the team’s leading scorer, Butler is still the clear captain of the team.
The 10-10 Heat have been up and down all season but have won five of the last seven games Butler has played in. Miami is coming off a 41-point thrashing of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in which they set a new franchise record with 42 assists as a team in the win. Butler accounted for 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 29 minutes of the victory.
Butler is not the only member of the Heat’s injury report and is joined on the dreaded list by a handful of teammates. Second-round rookie Pelle Larsson is questionable for the game with an ankle sprain. Nikola Jovic, Dru Smith and Josh Richardson were all recently cleared with respective injuries. Prized rookie Kel’el Ware and summer league star Josh Christopher are both unavailable for the game due to G-League assignments with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
There is still a chance that Butler suffers a late flare-up but otherwise, expect him to suit up on Saturday against the Suns.
The post Is Heat’s Jimmy Butler playing vs. Suns? Latest injury update appeared first on ClutchPoints.
