Heat Injury Report: Jimmy Butler’s Status Revealed for Afternoon’s Game vs the Pistons

The Miami Heat will meet the Detroit Pistons for the fourth and final time this season on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena. Before the convincing 108-95 victory against the hosts on Friday, the Heat were enduring a rough patch with a four-game losing streak. And their next road game won’t get any easier, as the Jimmy Butler-led team faces a stern test without key rotation players.

As per the latest injury report, Jimmy Butler is officially sidelined for the second leg of the team’s back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons, due to a right foot contusion. The 6’7″ forward seems to have picked up this injury after his right foot was stepped on during the team’s recent win against the Pistons. Despite the injury, Butler finished the night with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 31 minutes.

Jimmy Butler’s right foot has been a big problem for him for several months now. Earlier this January, he sustained a right toe MP joint sprain. This forced him to vacate the floor for seven straight games. However, there is no indication whether his recent foot bruise is related to the previous injury.

In addition to Butler, the team will also miss the skills of Nikola Jovic (hamstring), Tyler Herro (foot), Kevin Love (heel), and Josh Richardson (shoulder) for the game versus the Pistons. On top of it, Cole Swider and Alondes Williams are also unavailable to play on Sunday due to G League assignments. Miami currently boasts an unbeaten 3-0 season series record against the Pistons this season. However, achieving a clean sweep will be slightly harder for the short-handed South Florida team.

Jimmy Butler’s statistics this season

Across 47 games this season, he is posting 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals on 50% shooting from the field and 42.2 percent from the three-point line. However, his efficiency has taken a slight dip in the last ten games. Although he is averaging 21.3 points, his three-point percentage has plummeted to 33.3%, while his free throw percentage has gone from 85.2 to 80.6 over the last ten games.

However, Miami will still miss Jimmy Butler’s offensive input against Detroit. In the three victories against the Pistons, Butler has averaged 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season. But the team has also proved they can hold their own, going 12-7 in the six-time NBA All-Star’s absence this season. Do you think the Miami Heat can overcome Jimmy Butler’s absence to extend their winning streak to two on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

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