Jimmy Butler, the star of the Miami Heat, did not practice before the Denver Nuggets game on Wednesday night, but
it looks like he will still play. Butler is expected to play against the reigning champions on Wednesday, but the Heat
will still be without Tyler Herro and Kevin Love.
On February 29, the Nuggets defeated the Heat by six points, 103-97, in their early season meeting in Denver. The
Nuggets defeated the Heat for the eighth time in the regular season. Miami’s last regular-season victory over Denver
was in the 2019–20 season.
Butler, who has already missed 19 games for Miami this year, participated in more than 40 minutes in the team’s
previous game against the Nuggets. In the game, he shot 7 for 17 from the field, scoring 21 points, grabbing seven
rebounds, dishing out three assists, and stealing one.
Miami may find themselves in a difficult situation if Butler is downgraded because Herro, one of the team’s top
scorers, is already sidelined. In the 19 games Butler has missed this 2023–24 season, the Heat are 12–7.
Although Butler has lost a lot of time, he has been a very productive player for the Heat. In addition to shooting a
career-high 42.5 percent from outside the arc and 50.4 percent from the field, he is averaging 21.7 points, 5.5
rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.
Butler has never shot more than 40% from three in his career before. Given that it makes him an even more potent
scorer than he currently is, Heat supporters will undoubtedly be hoping he can maintain that for the remainder of
the regular season and into the postseason.
Miami would be thrilled to defeat Denver, especially considering the fact that they are now lost three straight games.
After losing to the Washington Wizards in their most recent game, the team’s record dropped to 35-29 for the year.
As a result, the Heat are now only two games behind the New York Knicks for the No. 4 seed in the Eastern
Conference, having dropped to the eighth spot.
On Wednesday night, the Nuggets and Heat are slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST from Kaseya Center in Miami.
