Butler (back) said he'll play during Friday's matchup against the Magic, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Butler was a late scratch for Tuesday's three-point win over the Celtics due to back soreness he experienced in warmups. The issue is minor, so he'll be back in the fold Friday. This month, the veteran is averaging 21.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.0 minutes.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Late scratch Tuesday
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Butler suffered a lower back injury during pregame warmups and is out for Tuesday's game against the Celtics, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Butler's streak of 11 straight appearances -- his longest of the season -- will end Tuesday. Without Butler, the Heat will likely hand more minutes to Haywood Highsmith, Caleb Martin and Max Strus. Butler's next chance to play arrives Friday against the Magic.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Records five thefts in win
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Butler ended with 18 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 8-10 FT), five steals, four rebounds and two assists across 34 minutes during Sunday's 100-96 victory over the Pelicans.
The five steals are the most notably takeaway from Butler's stat line in a game in which he settled for just a 15.4 percent usage rate while point guard Kyle Lowry (17 points in 30 minutes) took on more responsibility. With five games under 20 points in his last six contests, Butler's offensive production has tapered off of late, but he's still converting at a 55.7 percent clip from the field and a 90 percent rate from the free-throw line during that stretch.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Modest production Friday
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Butler ended Friday's 115-90 loss to Dallas with 12 points (3-7 FG, 6-6 FT), four rebounds, one assist and two steals over 26 minutes.
This 12-point output was Butler's lowest-scoring tally since he posted a nine-point effort against the Clippers on Jan. 2. Still, at the very least, Butler has managed to play 10 games in a row, which is a positive sign for fantasy managers who had to deal with his constant absences in both November and December. The veteran forward is averaging 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.4 blocks per game in January.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Hits for 34 against Hawks
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Butler supplied 34 points (11-16 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 11-11 FT), three rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals over 34 minutes during Monday's 121-113 loss to Atlanta.
It's the second time in the last four games Butler has scored 30 or more points, something the 33-year-old hadn't done for a month prior to his Jan. 10 outburst against the Thunder. He's playing at a high level right now, averaging 25.0 points, 6.0 boards, 3.0 assists and 1.9 steals over the last seven games while trying to keep an injury-riddled Heat roster afloat.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Posts double-double in victory
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Butler provided 17 points (5-13 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 11 rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes during Thursday's 108-102 win over the Bucks.
Butler fell just short of scoring 20-plus points for a fifth consecutive game Thursday, but he managed to record his first double-double since Dec. 15 during the win over Milwaukee. However, the 33-year-old had recorded at least two steals in 11 consecutive appearances prior to Thursday's matchup, but he was unable to log any takeaways against the Bucks. Butler has played at least 32 minutes in each of his six appearances in January, and he's averaged 22.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals in 34.0 minutes per game during that time.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Goes 23-for-23 from line in win
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Butler posted 35 points (6-17 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 23-23 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in 38 minutes during Tuesday's 112-111 win over the Thunder.
The Heat set a single-game NBA record for efficiency from the free-throw line, converting 40 of 40 attempts to break the previous mark set by the Jazz on Dec. 7, 1982 (39 of 39). Butler did the majority of the heavy lifting for the Heat, including converting an old-fashioned three-point play with 12.9 seconds remaining to give Miami a one-point edge. The flawless free-throw shooting on high volume in addition to the ample production in the defensive categories more than offset the uncharacteristically poor shooting from the field for Butler, who is still converting at a career-best 50.9 percent rate from the floor this season.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Scores 26 but Heat come up short
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Butler accumulated 26 points (9-21 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 7-9 FT), eight rebounds, one assist and two steals over 34 minutes during Sunday's 102-101 loss to the Nets.
Butler poured in a team-high 26 points by shooting 42.9 percent from the field, and he also tacked on seven points at the charity stripe. The veteran also secured eight boards, which marks his best rebounding night since Dec. 15 against Houston. Butler has reached the 20-point threshold in three straight contests and is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals over this stretch.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Diverse line in win
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Butler finished Friday's 104-96 victory over the Suns with 20 points (5-9 FG, 10-10 FT), five rebounds, six assists and two steals in 33 minutes.
Victor Oladipo led the team in scoring during Friday's win, but Butler still turned in a solid performance. Contrary to popular belief, there's no ill will between Butler and Oladipo, and it could boost the Heat's playoff fortunes if the duo could spend more time together on the court. While Tyler Herro (back) and Max Strus have been solid scoring options, an All-Star tandem of Butler and Oladipo could be the way for Miami to climb the standings in the East.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Puts up 27 points in loss
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Butler finished with 27 points (11-22 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists and three steals over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 112-109 loss to the Lakers.
Butler missed a tough potential game-tying three-pointer as time expired, but the loss to the shorthanded Lakers could hardly be put on his shoulders. The star forward finished second on Miami in scoring Wednesday and made half of his field-goal attempts, adding a 2-for-5 outing from three-point range. Butler also posted another big game defensively with three steals. He's been very productive in that category of late, averaging 2.9 thefts across his past 10 contests.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Posts quiet performance Monday
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Butler totaled nine points (2-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-8 FT), two rebounds, six assists and two steals across 32 minutes during Monday's 110-100 win over the Clippers.
Butler missed Miami's previous contest due to knee injury management, but the day off didn't seem to do any favors to his shooting stroke. The star forward finished just 2-for-8 against the Clippers, resulting in his lowest scoring total of the campaign. Butler did salvage his stat line somewhat with six assists and a pair of steals, and he has been very good in the latter category when he's been able to play, notching multiple thefts in each of his past seven contests.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Good to go
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Butler (knee) will play Monday night against the Clippers, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
As expected, Butler has been given the green light after being added to the injury report as probable ahead of Monday's matchup. He's averaging 22.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.6 steals per game over his last five appearances.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Expected to play Monday
Rotowire
Butler (knee) is listed as probable for Monday's game against the Clippers.
Butler has become one of the most frustrating players in the league for fantasy managers, as he's a virtual lock to miss at least one game per week. The veteran did not play Saturday against Utah but should be back in the lineup as Miami begins a four-game week. Butler has not played in more than three consecutive games since mid-November, and he's missed 12 of the Heat's last 22 games.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Won't play Saturday
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Butler has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Jazz due to knee injury management, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Butler appeared in the last two matchups and averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 steals in 36.5 minutes per game. He's slated to travel to Los Angeles prior to Miami's matchups against the Clippers and Lakers next week, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to action soon.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Posts 17 points, eight dimes
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Butler amassed 17 points (5-13 FG, 7-8 FT), six rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 38 minutes during Friday's 124-119 loss to Denver.
Butler failed to make a field goal on four attempts in the first quarter before entering the break with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting. He added nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field over the final two quarters while also posting three rebounds, three assists and three steals as Miami fell to the Nuggets on the road. Butler had scored at least 20 points in seven straight games, though the eight assists were the most he's recorded in a game since Dec. 8 against the Clippers. It was also his sixth game this season with at least four steals.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Will play Friday
Rotowire
Butler (ankle) will suit up for Friday's game against Denver, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Butler was tabbed as probable before being ruled in, so his availability was to be expected. With Victor Oladipo (rest) and Caleb Martin (ankle) absent, Butler could be tasked with a larger workload Friday
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Deemed probable Friday
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Butler (ankle) is probable for Friday's game against the Nuggets, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Butler returned from a one-game absence Wednesday against the Lakers and tallied 27 points, six steals, five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. He'll likely be able to suit up once again Friday and will likely be able to handle a significant workload following Wednesday's impressive performance.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Shines on both ends Wednesday
Rotowire
Butler registered 27 points (11-18 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds, four assists and six steals in 35 minutes during Wednesday's 112-98 victory over the Lakers.
Butler returned to action following a one-game absence, and as has been the case every time he's on the floor, he made a huge impact on both ends of the court while carrying the Heat to victory over LeBron James and the Lakers. Butler has now scored at least 20 points in seven games in a row, and the main issue with him is that he's been missing quite a few games of late, playing in just nine of the Heat's 13 contests in December. When healthy, though, he's one of the most versatile forwards in the league and brings value in several categories. He's averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game in December.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Available Wednesday
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Butler (ankle) is available for Wednesday's game against the Lakers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Butler was initially listed as questionable after missing Monday's win over the Wolves. He's been struggling to stay healthy, appearing in only 21 games this season, and the veteran hasn't played four consecutive games since mid-November. Still, he's producing well lately. This month, he's averaging 23.1 points on 60.0 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 33.3 minutes.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Questionable Wednesday
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Butler (ankle) is considered questionable for Wednesday's contest versus the Lakers, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Butler was unable to take the court Monday against the Timberwolves due to a lingering ankle issue that has resulted in him missing two of the last three. His status is likely up in the air and may not be decided until game day.
