All 76ers

Miami Heat Expect Jimmy Butler to be Ready for Game 1 vs. Sixers

As the Miami Heat worked on putting the Atlanta Hawks away in their first-round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Heat star Jimmy Butler dealt with a minor

Justin Grasso

Miami Heat Expect Jimmy Butler to be Ready for Game 1 vs. Sixers
Miami Heat Expect Jimmy Butler to be Ready for Game 1 vs. Sixers /

As the Miami Heat worked on putting the Atlanta Hawks away in their first-round series of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Heat star Jimmy Butler dealt with a minor setback.

Ahead of their Game 5 matchup against the Hawks, the Heat ruled out Jimmy Butler as he was battling knee soreness.

The Heat managed to put away the Hawks without Butler with a tight win. With that victory, Miami advanced to the next round of the playoffs.

At this point, it's clear the Heat will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. As the Sixers dominated the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 on Thursday night, the Raptors' comeback attempt was unsuccessful.

Now, the Sixers and the Heat are both preparing for their second-round battle, which is set to begin on Monday night in Miami.

As both teams gear up for the series, both sides are dealing with notable setbacks. For the Sixers, their star big man Joel Embiid is battling several setbacks as he has a torn ligament in his thumb, an orbital fracture, and a mild concussion.

Considering Embiid will be forced to miss at least five days' worth of action, according to reports, he is on pace to miss Game 1 on Monday.

As for the Heat, they have been paying close attention to Jimmy Butler's situation, but he doesn't seem to be in any danger of missing additional time.

According to Miami's official team Twitter account, Butler mentioned that his recent time off has been "great." He added that he believes he'll be ready for Monday's game.

In addition to Butler, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned that the team's star reserve Tyler Herro will also be ready to go on Monday. Lately, Herro's been dealing with a respiratory illness. Fortunately for Miami, it won't affect his status for the second-round series.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_. 

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

Home/News