Butler (neck) is out for Tuesday's game against the Raptors.
Butler has been shockingly healthy lately, appearing in 26 straight games, but that streak will end Tuesday. In his absence, more minutes should be available for Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Victor Oladipo. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo should take on more playmaking duties.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Downgraded to questionable
Rotowire
Butler (neck) has been downgraded from probable to questionable on the injury report for Tuesday's game versus the Raptors.
Generally speaking, late downgrades in status don't typically go well, so it's quite possible Butler will sit out the contest. At the very least, he's trending in that direction at this point, though the team should confirm his status at some point ahead of the 7:30 p.m. ET opening tip. If he's unable to suit up, Max Strus and Caleb Martin seem the most likely candidates to draw into the starting five.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Dealing with neck soreness
Rotowire
Butler wasn't present for Miami's morning shootaround and is considered probable for Tuesday's game against the Raptors due to neck soreness, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Butler wasn't listed on Miami's initial injury report, but it appears a neck issue has popped up overnight. His lack of presence at shootaround is certainly worrisome, but his probable tag suggests the issue is minor. Butler's official availability likely won't be known until closer to the 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Delivers 35-point performance
Rotowire
Butler contributed 35 points (11-19 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 11-14 FT), nine assists, four rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes during Wednesday's 127-120 victory over the Knicks.
The big scoring night on efficient shooting from the field and free-throw line along with strong outputs in the assists and steals categories and rare production in the three-point column enabled Butler to finish one of his better all-around fantasy lines of the season. The Heat have now won seven of their last 10 games, and Butler's play has been a major reason why Miami is surging as the season winds down. He's averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals and is shooting 58.6 percent from the field over that 10-game stretch.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Sets season high in assists in win
Rotowire
Butler provided 26 points (8-11 FG, 10-11 FT), 10 assists, four rebounds and one steal over 35 minutes during Sunday's 112-100 victory over the Pistons.
Butler established a new season high in assists en route to coming away with his 10th double-double for the season and his first since March 6. The 33-year-old is shooting a career-best 53 percent from the field and is averaging his most points (22.7 per game) since 2016-17, but the most impressive aspect of Butler's recent production may be the fact that he's merely been on the court. He's now played in all but one of the Heat's 36 contests since the start of the new year, and his 58 appearances on the season already match his most in any of his first four years in Miami.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Leading scorer in Monday's win
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Butler amassed 24 points (5-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 13-15 FT), eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks across 31 minutes during Monday's 119-115 victory over the Jazz.
The 33-year-old led the Heat in scoring, but Miami featured a balanced attack overall as seven different players scored in double digits, including all five starters. Butler has topped 20 points in five straight games and nine of 11 since the All-Star break, averaging 26.1 points, 6.5 boards, 4.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 threes over that stretch as the Heat try to climb out of the play-in tournament and lock up a playoff spot.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Big game squandered in loss
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Butler closed Saturday's 126-114 overtime loss to the Magic with 38 points (14-25 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 8-8 FT), five rebounds, two assists and one steal over 39 minutes.
Butler nailed an off-balance, contested three-pointer to force overtime, but Miami was ultimately outlasted in the extra period. The star forward's heroics likely didn't go unnoticed from fantasy managers, who have continued to ride the wave of Butler avoiding the injuries that have nagged him in seasons past. The 33-year-old has appeared in 20 straight games for Miami, averaging 24.3 points, 5.9 boards, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals during that stretch while shooting a magnificent 54.9 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Leads Miami past Cavaliers
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Butler ended with 33 points (12-16 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 8-9 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block over 35 minutes during Friday's 119-115 win over the Cavaliers.
Butler was efficient from the field and active on both ends of the court en route to posting another full stat line, but that's something fantasy managers regularly expect from the star forward. Butler has surpassed the 25-point mark in four of his last five appearances and is averaging a robust 25.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting an excellent -- and probably unsustainable -- 61.3 percent from the field and 60 percent from deep in six March contests.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Well-rounded line in loss
Rotowire
Butler closed Wednesday's 104-100 loss to Cleveland with 28 points (8-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 12-15 FT), five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block across 35 minutes.
As per usual, Butler produced a good chunk of his offense at the free-throw line and was efficient from the field while generally eschewing three-point attempts. For fantasy managers that are punting three-pointers and blocks, Butler has produced at a top-five level on a per-game basis this season. His overall value is similarly high, as Butler has proven more durable than anticipated this season, especially since the beginning of December. He's appeared in 39 of the Heat's past 45 contests.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Delivers well-rounded line in win
Rotowire
Butler played 33 minutes and supplied 26 points (8-14 FG, 10-12 FT), nine rebounds and nine assists in Monday's 130-128 win over the Hawks.
Though his stat line was lacking in its usual production in the steals category, Butler once again came through with excellent numbers in the three major fantasy categories and recorded his points on his usual efficient shooting from the field and free-throw line. Thanks largely to eschewing three-point shots -- his 1.6 attempts per game are his fewest since 2012-23 -- Butler has been able to bring his true shooting percentage up to a career-best 63 percent mark this season.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Available Saturday
Rotowire
Butler (knee) has been cleared to play Saturday against the Hawks, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Butler will play through some right knee soreness, making it 16 straight appearances for the veteran. During this stretch, he's averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.6 minutes.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Tabbed questionable
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Butler is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against Atlanta with right knee soreness, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Butler is at risk of sitting out Saturday's closing end of a back-to-back set after having not missed a game since Jan. 24. He has appeared in both legs of four of the Heat's nine back-to-back sets so far this season. If he were to miss, Caleb Martin and Max Strus would be in line for larger workloads.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Scores 33 in losing effort
Rotowire
Butler amassed 33 points (7-15 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 18-20 FT), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals over 33 minutes during Friday's 122-120 loss to the Knicks.
Butler came into Friday with a questionable tag due to right knee soreness, so that is something to monitor with the Heat playing again Saturday against the Hawks. Butler hasn't missed any action since Jan. 24 and could potentially be due for a maintenance day in the near future.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Good to go Friday
Rotowire
Butler (knee) is available for Friday's game versus the Knicks, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Butler has been upgraded from questionable to available Friday with right knee soreness. The star forward is averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 29.0 minutes across his last five appearances. Butler is a must-start in all fantasy formats as the Heat's top offensive weapon.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Questionable against Knicks
Rotowire
Butler is questionable for Friday's game versus the Knicks due to right knee soreness.
Butler continues to deal with a nagging knee injury, and it wouldn't be surprising for Miami to hold their star forward out of either leg of the team's back-to-back against the Knicks and Atlanta. If he doesn't suit up Friday, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus are candidates to see extended minutes.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Efficient in loss to 76ers
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Butler finished with 16 points (6-8 FG, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 27 minutes during Wednesday's 119-96 loss to the 76ers.
Butler only missed two shots from the field and delivered a decent stat line in a game where the Heat lost by 23 points. This was a down game for Butler, especially considering his recent performances. The way the game developed might have played a role in his limited minutes as well -- this was his second-lowest minute tally since the start of February, a span in which he's averaging a solid stat line of 21.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Teases triple-double in win
Rotowire
Butler racked up 23 points (9-14 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-6 FT), 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in 32 minutes during Monday's 101-99 victory over the 76ers.
It was a huge performance for the 33-year-old, and for the second time in the last five games, he came within one assist of a triple-double. Butler wrapped up a solid February having averaged 21.6 points, 5.7 boards, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals over 10 games, and his efforts have helped keep the Heat in contention for a playoff spot as they sit two games behind the Nets in the battle for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Solid effort in defeat
Rotowire
Butler ended with 28 points (6-8 FG, 16-20 FT), three rebounds, six assists and one steal in 33 minutes during Saturday's 108-103 loss to the Hornets.
Butler is one of the best players in the league when it comes to drawing fouls and finding a way to get to the free throw line, and he showed that again Saturday with 20 trips to the charity stripe. He's averaging 21.4 points, 5.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals across nine February appearances.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Limited production against Brooklyn
Rotowire
Butler totaled 13 points (4-11 FG, 5-5 FT), three rebounds and six assists over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 116-105 loss to the Nets.
Butler tied for the team lead with six rebounds during Wednesday's defeat, but his overall results were slightly down from what he's used to, especially after he came within one assist of a triple-double Monday against the Nuggets. Over his 10 appearances heading into the All-Star break, he's averaged 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.8 minutes per game. The 33-year-old's performance against the Nets was likely just an off night, and he'll have over a week to rest before the Heat return to action against the Bucks on Feb. 24.
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Heat's Jimmy Butler: Comes close to triple-double
Rotowire
Butler recorded 24 points (8-18 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 10 rebounds, nine assists and one steal across 32 minutes during Monday's 112-108 loss to the Nuggets.
The star forward ended just one assist away from recording a triple-double, and he's now eclipsed his season-long average in the category in three of his past four outings. With starting point guard Kyle Lowry (knee) out of the lineup and replacement Gabe Vincent a better fit as a spot-up shooter rather than as a creator, Butler could continue to see an uptick in his assist rate in the short term while the Heat backcourt is at less-than-full health.
