Pelicans Scoop

Erik Spoelstra's Statement on Benching Jimmy Butler in Pelicans-Heat

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler did not play in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Joey Linn

Dec 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Dec 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) walks off the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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The Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night by a final score of 119-108. This loss was New Orleans’ 11th-straight, as the NBA’s worst team is now just 5-29 on the season.

For the Heat, this win improved their overall record to 17-14 which is good for sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Welcoming Jimmy Butler back to the lineup after a five-game absence, Miami reinserted its six-time NBA All-Star into the starting group.

Missing five games due to illness and return to play conditioning, Butler played just under 25 minutes in Wednesday’s win over the Pelicans. Benched for the entire fourth quarter, Butler did not play a single minute in the final frame.

Dejounte Murray and Jimmy Butler
Jan 1, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (5) defends Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the first half at Kaseya Center. / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

When asked after the game why he benched Butler down the stretch, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra noted the star forward’s 13 days off, and also said the group he closed with was playing well.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it as a back to back,” Spoelstra said, noting Miami’s game on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers. “I mean, 13 days is a long time away and I just went with the group there in the fourth that was giving us the most, and to see if that group could close it out.”

Butler has been heavily involved in NBA trade rumors, which always places a bigger spotlight on developments like this one where a star player sits the entire fourth quarter. That said, Spoelstra's reason for benching his star forward down the stretch was a combination of Butler's long absence and how well Miami's group on the floor was playing.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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