Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight against Boston Celtics? Latest injury update for Heat star (Dec.2)
Jimmy Butler is ruled out from tonight's game against Boston Celtics. Earlier the Heat star admitted to wait and see to determine his availability for Monday's game. However as per latest reports he will be sidelined for the matchup. Two NBA heavyweights will collide as the Celtics host the Miami Heat at the iconic TD Garden. However, the biggest concern for the Heat is Butler’s absence from the game.
What happened to Jimmy Butler?
A lot of people have been wondering whether Jimmy Butler will be fit for this game and the news coming out of Miami camp suggests that it could be a very close call.
Butler suffered a knee injury during the Celtics' narrow 119-116 defeat against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. He started the game despite being listed on the injury report and finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 34 minutes.
It was another disappointing result for the Heat but there were again positives to take from the game, one which saw Tyler Herro continue his hot start to the season, leading the team with 31 points.
If the Heat are to put up a fight against a strong Celtics team and answer the questions they are facing at the moment, then they will surely need Butler to be fit and firing in this one.
The Celtics are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-4 record. On the other hand, the Heat are No. 6 in the East with nine wins and nine defeats.
Jimmy Butler offers a blunt response to knee injury
Heading into the press conference, it was anticipated that journalists would have lined up a multitude of questions to gain clarity on Butler's injury.
“Banged up. Ain’t nothing new,” Butler told the reporters on Sunday.
When asked about his availability against the Celtics, Butler responded:
“I don’t know. We'll see how I feel whenever I wake up in the morning. Get all the treatment that I can get, and hopefully, I'm ready to rock."
Jimmy Butler stats vs Boston Celtics
Jimmy Butler has squared off against the Celtics 33 times in the regular season during his career. He's averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. His record against the Celtics is 16-17.