Miami Heat Injury Report (30th October): Latest status on Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love and Caleb Martin's availability

The Miami Heat are scheduled to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. At the time of writing, Jimmy Butler is expected to participate in the contest. Butler missed the Heat's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which ended in a 106-90 loss for Miami.

Kevin Love is also listed as probable for the game. However, Caleb Martin and Josh Richardson are both doubtful. The Bucks will be a stern test for Miami. The duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo will test Erik Spoelstra's team and give them a good indication of whether they're a contending team or not.

This will be the first time when Miami faces Lillard since it failed to acquire him from the Portland Trail Blazers this summer. Miami has struggled to start the season. It will also be the first time the Heat have faced Milwaukee since they eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Part of the Heat's struggles is because they lost two key contributors over the summer. Gabe Vincent and Max Strus are both playing their basketball elsewhere, leaving the Heat short on legitimate depth.

Nevertheless, you can never count Miami out. Especially if Butler and Bam Adebayo are both in the rotation. The Heat have developed a reputation for overcoming difficult odds. However, doing so against a Bucks team with a superstar duo may be a step too far.

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Damian Lillard addresses failed Miami Heat trade

Despite the Miami Heat being listed as Damian Lillard's favored trade destination this summer, the superstar guard ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks. Lillard will now face off against the Heat. The star guard is treating it like any other game.

"I've never played on their team," Lillard told Jack Maloney of NBA.com. "I mentioned that [it] was the destination for me when I asked to be traded last year, but I was traded here. I'm excited to be here, I'm happy to be here, I fit in great here. For me, personally, that was the end of it. I never thought about it again after that."

Lillard continued:

"So I'm not going into tomorrow like, 'This the team that I was supposed to be playing for,' or none of that. I know Jimmy, I know Bam, we're cool, but I play for the Bucks. I'm not going into it like, 'That's my former team,' or, 'We was tied in,' or nothing like that. It's another game."

Miami's roster will be keen to show Lillard what he's missing. The Heat are just a few months removed from competing in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets. While they're not seen as contenders this season, the NBA has learned that Miami can't be counted out, regardless of how its regular season goes.