PHILADELPHIA — Miami guard Jimmy Butler says he will need an MRI on his right knee after he was injured in the first half of the Heat's play-in tournament loss to the 76ers.
Butler was hurt late in the first quarter when he tried to fake out Kelly Oubre Jr. on a bucket, only to have his knee buckle and he fell to the court. Oubre appeared to land on the Heat star, who led the franchise last season to the NBA Finals.
“I fell, he landed and my knee just didn't do well, I guess," Butler said. “I don't know. It's not a good feeling, I can tell you that.”
Butler sank the free throw, exhaled and missed the second one. He remained in the game and scored 19 points, but it wasn't enough in Philadelphia's 105-104 win on Wednesday night.
The Heat host Chicago on Friday night, with the winner getting the No. 8 seed.
“We just need to get one and then we'll worry about the next one,” Butler said.
It was not immediately clear if Butler would be available to play.
“It felt like I couldn’t do too much, which sucks with the timing of the game and everything,” Butler said. “I hope that I’m fine. I hope that I wake up tomorrow and can still stick-and-move. Right now, I can’t stay that’s the case.”
Whether Butler plays or not, the Bulls expect to have a tough time against the Heat.
“Jimmy being out for Miami, they have a culture,” Chicago guard Ayo Dosunmu said. “Whoever steps up in his spot, I know they’re not gonna bring everything he does. He’s an All-Star, a great player in this league, but Miami is one of the teams when you play them, you know what to expect. They play hard. They play physical. They don’t quit. They always keep coming, they keep bringing energy.”
Butler, a former Bull and Sixer, scored 20.8 points in 60 games for the Heat. The 34-year-old Butler said he stayed in the game because he thought the “adrenaline would kick back in” and he would feel healthy enough to play at his usual level.
Butler was 5 of 18 from the floor overall but scored just two points in the fourth, when the Heat collapsed in the quarter.
“It just wasn't the case,” he said. “I wasn't able to do anything on either side of the ball. I think I hurt us more than I helped us actually.”
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