Why is Jimmy Butler not playing tonight against Chicago Bulls? Latest injury update for Heat forward (April 19)

Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat's playoff chances are on the line in Friday night's Play-In Tournament showdown against the Chicago Bulls. After coming up short in securing the Eastern Conference seventh seed in Wednesday night's 105-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat have a shot at the eighth seed tonight. However, the six-time NBA All-Star has been ruled out of the contest.

So why is Jimmy Butler not playing tonight against the Chicago Bulls? According to the Miami Heat's injury report, Butler is dealing with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss several weeks because of it. The injury occurred during the first quarter of the Play-In Tournament game against the Sixers.

With Butler out tonight, the team will look to rely on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo to carry more offensive responsibilities as they hope to propel themselves to a victory against the Bulls.

What happened to Jimmy Butler?

With an opportunity to get sent to the free-throw line with a quick shot fake, Jimmy Butler had Kelly Oubre Jr. floating above him when he could be committed. However, as the Heat star already went down after the initial contact, the second contact occurred when the 76ers guard landed on Butler's foot, resulting in the injury.

Jimmy Butler was still able to finish the game but looked to be hurting on a couple of possessions throughout the contest. He finished the game with 19 points (5 of 18 shooting, including 2 of 6 from 3-point range), five assists, five steals and four rebounds. Interestingly, he logged the second-most number of minutes on the court at 40.

It was a tightly contested game in the second half as the Philadelphia 76ers slowly carved their way back from a 12-point deficit to reclaim the lead in the fourth quarter with 8:58 minutes left to go. However, the Heat's offensive limitations showed up at the worst possible time for them as they struggled to get a consistent rhythm on the court.

Additionally, Tyler Herro led all scorers for Miami with 25 points but struggled to do it efficiently at 9 of 27 shooting, including 4 of 14 from 3-point range.

Moreover, the Heat have a 13-22 record this season in games when Butler is out.

Jimmy Butler's stats vs. Chicago Bulls

In the 16 games he has faced the Chicago Bulls in his career, Jimmy Butler has averaged 23.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

His last matchup against the Bulls was on Dec. 16, 2023, when he put up 28 points (9 of 18 shooting), four rebounds and two steals.

Additionally, his highest-scoring outing against his former team was on Feb. 9, 2018, when he dropped 38 points (11 of 26 shooting, including 3 of 9 from 3-point range), seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.