Jimmy Butler ruled out for Knicks vs. Heat Game 2 with injury
Defenses couldn’t stop Playoff Jimmy, but injury did.
The Knicks didn’t have to worry about Jimmy Butler in a must-win Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night at the Garden, the Miami Heat star ruled out about an hour beforehand with a right ankle sprain.
Butler suffered the injury with 5:05 left in Miami’s Game 1 win at the Garden while being fouled by Josh Hart.
The Heat pulled away down the stretch to win the opener of this second-round series.
He stayed in the game and gutted through despite being visibly hobbled.
The Knicks shockingly didn’t matchup hunt to attack him on defense in pick-and-rolls.
But Tuesday night they didn’t have to face him at all.
After initially being listed as questionable, Butler went through around-the-clock treatment but was a late scratch before tipoff.
Butler didn’t undergo any imaging, and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said the star wing wasn’t scheduled to.
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“No. [And] no,” Spoelstra said. “You guys aren’t probably going to get a whole lot more out of me on that. Look, none of us know [how bad it is]. Come on, this is not rocket science. We probably just ran out of time [Tuesday].”
Butler, who has suffered several ankle sprains in his four years in Miami, is renowned for his toughness. Spoelstra admitted he’s not sure if he would’ve let any other player gut out the final stages of Game 1 under similar circumstances (“Maybe Udonis Haslem. I don’t want to get beat up on national TV,” Spoelstra quipped), but wouldn’t go into detail about their conversations for Game 2.
The Heat have ruled Jimmy Butler out for Game 2 against the Knicks with an ankle injury, which he suffered Sunday in Game 1. Getty Images
Jimmy Butler of the Heat down on the floor after suffering an ankle injury against the Knicks on April 30, 2023. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post
“How many different ways [can I say it]?” Spoelstra asked. “Look, at this point, yeah we’re having very reasonable conversations. I know where his heart is, I know what he wants to do.
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“This was not just a decision between Jimmy and I. We’re probably the worst people that are going to rely on to make that kind of decision.
So yeah, we have to pull in the medical staff and the training staff and we have to make a responsible decision. And that was the decision we made and we’re all on board with that.”
Butler led Miami with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1. Now the Heat get to rest him for three off days with Game 3 not until Saturday afternoon in South Florida.
Meanwhile, both Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson — also listed as questionable — played for the Knicks.
Source: New York Post
