Miami Heat Face Tough Challenge As Jimmy Butler Suffers Knee Injury

Photo: Instagram/Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat faced a tough start in their first-round rematch against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Celtics dominated the game, taking a massive 91-59 lead by the end of the third quarter. 

Despite some late efforts from the Heat, the Celtics held on to win the game 114-94. The Heat received more bad news off the court as well. 

According to Shams Charania on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," Jimmy Butler's knee injury is a severe MCL sprain. This means Butler will miss the rest of the series and could be out for up to two months.

Photo: Instagram/Jimmy Butler

Butler's absence is a big blow to the Heat. During the regular season, the team had a positive point differential of +214 when Butler played. Without him, that number dropped to -89.

Even with this setback, Celtics' head coach Joe Mazzulla believes the Heat will still fight hard. He said, "Their team might look a little different without Butler, but their DNA is still the same."


The Heat were already considered underdogs in this series. Now, without Butler, they face an even tougher challenge against a talented Celtics team.

Read Next: Jamal Murray's Buzzer-Beater Seals Nuggets' Win Over Lakers In Game 2

Source: Sports Illustrated 

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