Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is feared to have suffered an MCL injury in his knee, league sources tell The Athletic.
Butler went down and was very slow to get up after being fouled on a play at the end of the first quarter of the Heat’s 105-104 Play-In Tournament loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He seemed to be in a good deal of pain and discomfort after taking a hit while leaking out for a layup in transition and colliding with Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre Jr.
Butler limped to the bench but remained in the game, playing 40 minutes and scoring 19 points but shooting just 5 of 18 from the field. He said after the game that he would get an MRI on his knee Thursday, adding that he was extremely limited as the game went on and felt as though he hurt the Heat more than helped them.
The Heat, who advanced from the Play-In Tournament all the way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets, last season, face an elimination game against either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
