Ankle injury kept Jimmy Butler away for the rest of the game
Miami Heat fans collectively held their breath as Jimmy Butler exited the game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday after twisting his ankle.
The six-time All-Star injured himself halfway through the first quarter, attempting to pivot on his right foot while Jamal Murray defended him.
Butler immediately fell, wincing in pain, before getting up and making his way toward Miami’s locker room.
Miami Heat’s star Jimmy Butler was ruled out of Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to a sprained right ankle, as reported by Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Butler slipped while driving toward the basket in the first quarter. He quickly left the court and headed straight to the locker room.
Before leaving, Butler recorded two points and two assists, hitting one of his two shots.
Despite his recent injury troubles, Butler had played in all eight of Miami’s regular-season games this year prior to this setback.
Last season, the 35-year-old appeared in just 60 games and missed Miami’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics due to a right MCL injury. Since joining the Heat, the Small Forward hasn’t played more than 64 games in a season and hasn’t exceeded 70 games since his 2016-17 stint with the Chicago Bulls.
Entering Friday’s game, Butler was averaging 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, shooting 47.7% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.
The Heat later confirmed that the forward would not return due to a right ankle sprain.
Miami faced a double blow early in the game as Jimmy Butler was sidelined in the first quarter, while Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic dominated the court, securing another triple-double.
Jokic posted 30 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds, marking his third consecutive triple-double and leading the Nuggets to a 135-122 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
This triple-double was Jokic’s NBA-leading fifth of the season.
Denver started strong, jumping to a 17-6 lead in just over four minutes as part of a 40-point first quarter, where they hit 14 of their 20 shots. Although Miami managed to close the gap to seven points in the game’s final five minutes, they never took the lead and were down by as much as 26 points in the second half.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with a team-high 24 points and 11 assists.
The Nuggets will next host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the same day the Heat continue their six-game road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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