Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler suffers injury his right ankle late in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors and will be evaluated on Tuesday.
“He turned it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stated this after the Warriors defeated the Heat 115-108. “If you talk to Jimmy right now, he says he’s fine.
“We will have to evaluate it and see how he feels.”
Butler sustained the injury when he went to plant his right foot on a move but also appeared to lose his footing. He fell to the floor while holding the ball and was in pain as play was stopped with 3:14 left in the third quarter.
A timeout was called by Miami, and Butler had to be helped off the floor by two Heat members as he was unable to put any weight on the ankle.
Butler has had problems with his right ankle this season as he missed three games in November due to a right ankle sprain. And he turned his right ankle in a game against Washington on Dec. 28. He was ruled out against San Antonio in a Dec. 29 game that was eventually postponed.
Butler had 22 points and five rebounds before his latest ankle injury. The Heat star has missed 15 games this season because of injuries. He missed four games from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4 due to a tailbone injury. He returned for one game and then banged his tailbone again, forcing him to miss eight straight games in December.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson is expected to make a return for the Golden State Warrior on Sunday against Cleveland Cavaliers according to sources.
A final decision on Thompson’s debut is expected to be decide once the Warriors return from back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas and New Orleans, sources stated.
The Warriors and Thompson, a five-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion had targeted two home dates in January (Sunday vs. Cleveland and Jan. 18 vs. Detroit), but barring a setback, there’s increased optimism that his return will come in Sunday’s game at the Chase Center, sources said.
The 31-year-old is returning from a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and a right Achilles tear in a November 2020 workout.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently said that Thompson will return to the starting lineup immediately.
Thompson will travel with the Warriors on the two-game trip to Dallas and New Orleans this week, Kerr said Monday evening. He then will return to the Bay Area for two off days before Sunday’s game with Cleveland.
“We could sense it on the road trip last week he was real excited,” Kerr said following Golden State’s 115-108 win over the Miami Heat. “He’s in a great place mentally, physically, and spiritually.”
Thompson completed a productive five-day stay with Santa Cruz of the G League last month, playing in three game-length scrimmages. His rehab has been complete, but he’s been working to elevate his conditioning as much as possible before rejoining a Warriors team holding the NBA’s best record at 29-7.
“We are looking forward to getting Klay back,” Warriors All-Star Draymond Green said earlier Monday. “That takes this team to another level. We are extremely excited about that, but nobody is expecting it to just be seamless. You want to try to make it as seamless as you possibly can, but there is no way to guarantee that.”
Thompson impressed through an extensive, impressive warm-up shooting routine alongside Splash Brother Stephen Curry before Monday night’s game, as fans went bonkers and he raised his arms in triumph to oblige their cheers. Green could only grin as Thompson made his way off the court.
Source: ESPN
