Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler was not able to finish Wednesday’s win against the Charlotte Hornets because of a back issue, but the Heat’s hope is that Butler will be able to play on Friday against the Toronto Raptors. Butler is listed as probable for Friday’s matchup against the Raptors at Kaseya Center (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) with back tightness.
After exiting Wednesday’s game with 2:57 left in the third quarter on the second night of a back-to-back set, the 35-year-old Butler never re-entered as he spent the rest of the game on the Heat’s bench with a heating pad on his back. “Just a tight back,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Wednesday night’s 98-94 victory over the Hornets at Spectrum Center.
Butler was clearly limited by his back while he was on the court, finishing the game with six points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field — both shots were from three-point range. He also contributed four rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes before leaving the game late in the third quarter.
Wednesday’s performance marked the first time since Jan. 2, 2013, that Butler has finished a game without attempting a two-point shot or free throw. It’s the first game in Butler’s NBA career that he did it when logging more than 10 minutes. Butler has missed four of the Heat’s first 16 games this season.
He sat out four straight games earlier this month because of a sprained right ankle. Also on the Heat’s injury report for Friday’s game against the Raptors: Duncan Robinson (left glute tightness) and Terry Rozier (right foot neuroma) are listed as probable. Kevin Love is questionable to play after missing Wednesday’s win because of back spasms. Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson are the only two Heat players definitively ruled out for Friday’s contest because they’re in the G League as part of their two-way contracts. Johnson returned to the G League after spending the last few games The rest of the Heat’s roster is expected to be available against the Raptors. The Raptors ruled out Bruce Brown (return to competition reconditioning), Gradey Dick (left calf contusion), Kelly Olynyk (back strain) and Immanuel Quickley (partial UCL tear in left elbow) for Friday’s contest in Miami.
With Butler held out of Wednesday’s fourth quarter, the Hornets rallied from a 20-point third quarter deficit to take a two-point lead with 42.3 seconds left in regulation. But Tyler Herro rescued the Heat, hitting a 29-foot three to put the Heat back ahead by one point with 28.4 seconds to play. Then Herro made a big play on the other end, jumping the passing lane to come up with a timely steal with just 8.8 seconds left to preserve the Heat’s one-point advantage on the way to escaping with the win. Herro scored 12 of his team-high 27 points in Wednesday’s fourth quarter while delivering in clutch moments. He also added eight rebounds and five assists in the victory.
Duncan Robinson scored a season-high 22 points for the Heat with the help of 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range in the Heat’s win over the Hornets. He scored 13 points in the first quarter. Wednesday’s four-point victory in Charlotte is already the seventh game in the Heat’s first 16 games of the season that has been decided by five or fewer points. “From the mental toughness standpoint, we’re getting pretty comfortable in these kinds of games,” Spoelstra said. “I guess it’s seven out of 11 [games] that have come down to the last shot, not just the last possession but the last shot. So it was good to see us have to execute under duress down the stretch on both sides of the floor.”
STILL ALIVE (KIND OF)
The Heat is technically still alive in its pursuit of the NBA Cup, but barely. After Tuesday’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat holds a 1-2 record in the four-game group stage of the NBA’s second-annual in-season tournament. Despite the poor record, the Heat can technically still advance past group play and into the knockout rounds of the tourney. The Heat’s final group-play game comes on Friday against the Raptors in Miami.
The winner of each of the NBA’s six five-team groups and two wild cards (the team from each conference with the best record in group play that finished second in its group) will advance to the knockout quarterfinal round. The Bucks lead the Heat’s group at 3-0 in the group stage.
The Detroit Pistons are in second place at 2-0. The Heat stands in third place and the best it can currently finish is in second place among the group. Miami will need a win on Friday against the Raptors and plenty of help elsewhere to advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament, with tiebreakers likely coming into play in this scenario. However, the Heat could be eliminated from the tournament even if it defeats the Raptors on Friday.
That’s because if the Pistons earn a win over the Pacers on Friday in Indianapolis, the Heat would be eliminated regardless of the result of its matchup against the Raptors since the most group-play losses that the Bucks and Pistons could finish with in this scenario would be one and the Heat already has two losses. A loss to the Raptors on Friday would end the Heat’s slim hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals, regardless of other results.
The knockout rounds will consist of single-elimination games for the eight teams that advance from group play, starting with the quarterfinals on Dec. 10 and 11 played in NBA markets. If the Heat is one of the 22 teams that doesn’t advance to the quarterfinals, it will play two regular-season games (one home game and one road game) on Dec. 12 or Dec. 13 and Dec. 15 or Dec. 16 to fill the missing two games in its standard 82-game schedule. Every game in the NBA’s in-season tournament will count toward regular-season stats and standings, except the championship game in Las Vegas on Dec. 17.
What’s at stake?
The NBA Cup and bonus money for the quarterfinalists, semifinalists, runner-up and champion. Last season, the players on the championship team got $500,000 each, players on the team that lost in the championship got $200,000 each, players on the team that lost in the semifinals got $100,000 each, and the players on the team that lost in the quarterfinals got $50,000 each.
This season, the cash prizes are expected to be slightly higher because of negotiated raises as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. The Heat didn’t advance past the group stage of the NBA’s inaugural tourney last season.
