If the Miami Heat are to beat the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, they’ll have to do so without the services of Jimmy Butler for the second half of the game. Miami announced that Butler, who gave the team 20 minutes of work in the first half, dealt with some right knee inflammation during halftime, and the decision was made to shut him down for the remainder of the evening.
Miami Heat say Jimmy Butler is out for the rest of the game with knee inflammation.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 22, 2022
Jimmy Butler will not play in the second half because of right knee inflammation, per ABC.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) May 22, 2022
Upon his departure from the game, Miami opted to fill his spot in their lineup with Victor Oladipo. Prior to going down, Butler scored eight points, reeled in three rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and registered two steals as the Heat took a 15-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
Butler has dealt with right knee inflammation already this postseason. Back in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, Miami opted to sit their All-Star wing as issues with his knee flared up. It was a decision that paid off for the Heat, as they won that game, 97-94.
Butler is in the conversations for the best performers during the 2022 playoffs, as he’s averaged 29.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.2 steals in 37.3 minutes per game for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.