Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on Miami Heat star's status (Dec. 13)
Jimmy Butler will be available for the Miami Heat when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The Heat did not list Butler in their injury report before tonight's matchup, so he is expected to start for them.
However, Butler might need to exert more effort in leading the Miami Heat as his fellow key players, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, will still be out.
South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman reported that Adebayo will miss his fifth straight game after aggravating the left hip contusion he got earlier in the season.
Winderman also reported that Herro will sit out his 16th straight contest as he is still feeling the pain from his right ankle sprain from last month.
Also ruled out for the Miami Heat is Haywood Highsmith, whose bruised back will sideline him for the fourth straight game. Dru Smith is already out for the year after undergoing knee surgery.
Nikola Jovic, on the other hand, has been designated anew to the Miami Heat's NBA G-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce and will be out against the Charlotte Hornets.
What happened to Jimmy Butler?
The game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat is the tail end of their home-and-home set played on back-to-back nights.
In their last meeting in Charlotte on Tuesday night, Jimmy Butler and the Heat prevailed, 116-114.
Jimmy Butler's stats vs. Charlotte Hornets
Jimmy Butler had a solid night for the Miami Heat as he tallied 23 points on 7 of 12 field goals, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal and one block.
The night belonged to Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and Kevin Love. Robinson fired 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting, including 5 of 9 from long range, along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Martin also did great for the Miami Heat as he tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Love put up a season-high 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including four threes with six rebounds, one assist and one steal off the bench.
Terry Rozier caught fire for 34 points on 10 of 17 shooting, including 8 of 13 on threes with two rebounds and 13 assists, but it was not enough to lift the Charlotte Hornets.
Now, Rozier needs to replicate his explosion at home if he wants to get back at the Heat on their home floor.