Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight against the LA Clippers?

Jimmy Butler had been out since Nov. 18 with right knee soreness, causing him to miss five straight games until returning to action Friday.

Butler joined his squad for the first time in a 120-116 overtime win at the Boston Celtics on Friday, finishing with 25 points and 15 rebounds. He then played the following game, dropping 18 points in a 101-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

Since then, he has been listed as questionable.

Miami (11-14) is tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Wizards. Playing with Butler would definitely help pull the Heat out of the 10th spot, but it might cause future trouble with their star as well.

There are reports that Butler is out due to conditioning but that he is expected to play on Thursday night, when the Heat host the LA Clippers (14-12).

Officially, he is listed as questionable, but the NBA Injury Report claims Butler is still expected to suit up.

This would be a big move for the Heat as they hope to move past the Wizards.

For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard is out with an ankle injury (as they play the second game of a back-to-back). Paul George is questionable with a hamstring injury but is expected to play.

The Heat could arguably stand to sit Butler and keep him rested, but if his injury listed is merely conditioning, he may have already served his rest.

After playing back-to-back two games upon his return, Butler may have been stressing his injury. Erik Spoelstra’s decision to sit Butler in a 116-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons could have been a plan to extend his health for this game.

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Jimmy Butler, averaging 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, had a knee injury surface in last year's playoffs that almost sat him out of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Jimmy decided to play that game and stayed on the floor for the remainder of the series.

There is no telling whether or not the reoccurring knee injury is a result of Butler pushing himself through last year's playoffs.

His averages so far this season would say otherwise, as averaging 21 points a game does not read like he is dealing with a set back.

In any case, the injury seems to be a minor one that has already smoothed over into what is now considered a "conditioning" issue.

The official report claims that Butler is expected to play on Thursday night against the Clippers.