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Miami Heat Get Major Injury Upgrade vs 76ers on Monday

The Miami Heat are upgrading Jimmy Butler on Monday.

Justin Grasso

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the second quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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After getting the last two days off, the Philadelphia 76ers will return to the court on Monday night to face the Miami Heat. The Sixers could miss their star center Joel Embiid, who has appeared in just two games this year.

On Miami’s side, they’ve been waiting for the return of Jimmy Butler.

The former Sixers star has been battling an ankle sprain lately and hasn’t been on the court. The last time he suited up for the Heat was back on November 8, when Miami visited the Denver Nuggets.

During that game, Butler checked in for just seven minutes. He left the game after scoring two points off of two shots. Since then, he’s missed the Heat’s last three games.

Will Butler Return vs the Sixers?

The Heat are fortunate to have Butler available to play on Monday. The star forward has been upgraded on the injury report ahead of the matchup.

The Heat are wrapping up a tough road trip, which spanned five games. On Sunday night, the Heat wrapped up their trip with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Without Butler, the Heat found success against the Pacers with a 13-point victory. They are now 2-1 on the year in games that Butler doesn’t play.

When Butler was on the court earlier this season, Miami won three of their first eight games of the season. Butler averaged 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Sixers and the Heat are set to tip at 7:30 PM ET on Monday.

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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

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