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Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is going to miss Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards with soreness in his knee, per the team.
This will be the third game Butler has missed already this season. He missed back-to-back games on Nov. 2 and 4 because of a hip injury.
The move to hold Butler out against the Wizards seems like it’s just precautionary. He played 38 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Friday marks the second of a four-game road trip for the Heat. They will play a back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Miami will return home to host the Wizards on Nov. 23.
The 33-year-old dealt with injuries throughout the 2021-22 season and the playoffs.
Butler missed time in the postseason because of right knee inflammation. He was also hobbled throughout the regular season, sitting out 25 games with ankle, tailbone, toe and shoulder ailments.
Despite the injury-riddled year, Butler earned the sixth All-Star selection of his career. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 57 regular-season games.
The Marquette product upped his play in the postseason with averages of 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. Butler was the only Miami player to average over 20 points in the playoffs, but it wasn’t enough as the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven games.
Butler continues to be the driving force for the Heat this season. He leads the team in scoring average (20.9 points per game), assists (6.1) and ranks second in rebounds (6.6).
