Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat fell to the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid last night in the NBA play-in tournament. Butler suffered a painful-looking injury at the end of the first quarter but miraculously played the rest of the game. He was obviously hampered by the injury and unable to affect the game. Despite his injury, the Heat almost beat the Sixers, losing 105 - 104 in a close game. The Sixers secured a playoff spot and will face the New York Knicks. The Miami Heat will face the Chicago Bulls on Friday for the final playoff spot in the east.
The Heat struggle offensively, and scoring the basketball will only be harder without Butler. The Heat had success early against Embiid, and the Sixers played fantastic defense. Particularly, they deployed a zone that confused and caused some bad turnovers from Embiid, who is still getting up to speed after being injured. It is still possible for the Heat to make the playoffs. it will be tough against the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Atlanta Hawks 131-116.
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Jimmy Butler Is Out Indefinitely After an MCL Injury
Jimmy Butler is feared to have sustained an MCL injury last night. Butler was writhing in pain at the end of the first quarter. It looked like he would definitely have to leave the game, but he played the rest of the game. It's very on-brand for Butler, whose whole persona is that he is built differently and played through such an injury. But that toughness may have made the injury worse, and now he will not only miss the final play-in game on Friday but will be out for multiple weeks.
The Heat have a tough task ahead of them. They will play the Bulls on Friday, who defeated the Hawks last night. The Bulls were led by an incredible performance from Coby White. White finished the game with 42 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Heat struggle to put points on the board, and they are going to face a team that just scored 131 points. Jimmy Butler will be sidelined indefinitely. The Heat might beat the Bulls and make the playoffs. But Butler will likely not be available for the first-round matchup against the Celtics.
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