Jimmy Butler suffered an injury during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks on Sunday.
Butler was driving to the basket late in the fourth quarter when his feet got tangled up with Josh Hart’s. Butler stumbled a bit and appeared to badly turn his right ankle. He was clearly in pain and remained on the floor for quite some time.
Jimmy Butler is down after rolling his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/VeiDjcF5E2
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 30, 2023
Butler was fouled on the play, so he had to shoot the free throws in order to be eligible to remain in the game. He left the court but eventually limped back on and hit both free throws.
Though he was in obvious pain, Butler remained in the game and helped the Heat finish off a win. He will have only one full day to rest before Game 2 on Tuesday.
Butler was asked after the game how the injury was feeling. He smirked and said “like a rolled ankle.”
Butler averaged 37.6 points per game in Miami’s first-round series against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks. His Game 4 performance in that series was one of the best in NBA playoff history and drew huge praise from a pair of Hall of Famers.
It would be a surprise if Butler missed any time, but he may not be 100 percent healthy for a while.
