What happened to Jimmy Butler? Heat superstar hobbles off court vs Jazz sparking injury concerns
After missing four straight games for the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler can't catch a break as he gets injured again midway through his first game back against the Utah Jazz. The Heat lost the game by eight points, snapping their four-game winning streak.
While driving to the hoop, Butler tried to break the defense of Lauri Markkanen. Kris Dunn tried to tap the ball away from him and in reaction, he jerked his ankle while driving to the hoop.
Butler did not return to the game and finished the game by logging in almost 23 minutes to provide the Heat with eight points, two rebounds, an assist and a block.
Before the injury, the six-time NBA All-Star had been nursing a calf injury that had left him sidelined for the past four games. There is no report yet if Jimmy Butler will be missing time after twisting his ankle against the Utah Jazz.
Miami Heat snaps four-game winning streak amidst Jimmy Butler's lingering injury
The Miami Heat managed to win all their games without Jimmy Butler in their last four games but the team ends the year with another injury scare from their star forward.
Leading the Heat in the loss was Bam Adebayo, who had 28 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and three blocks, while Tyler Herro followed through with 25 points, six rebounds and six assists.
For the Jazz, Collin Sexton was the leading scorer with 22 points and five assists. Rookie Keyonte George came off the bench with 21 points, six rebounds and five three-pointers. The Heat also had no answer for Kelly Olynyk, who had 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
The Miami Heat will open up 2024 with a matchup with both Los Angeles teams, the Clippers and Lakers, on January 1st and 3rd.
Miami Heat's Goran Dragic retires after 15 seasons in the NBA
It was a tough day for the Miami Heat, as they also had Goran Dragic retire. The Slovenian basketball icon ends his seven-season stint with the Heat, highlighted by a run in the NBA Finals back in the 2019–20 season.
Dragic played a total of 282 games for the Heat and averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds. This was the team that he had played on the most after bouncing from different teams in the league, such as the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors.