Celtics

Jimmy Butler’s knee injury reportedly not considered serious after he left Game 3 early

Butler, who's been the Heat's leading scorer in the postseason, left at halftime in Miami's Game 3 win.

By Conor Roche

updated on May 22, 2022

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Heat star Jimmy Butler was one of three players to suffer injuries in Miami’s Game 3 win over Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. His injury was also the only one considered serious enough to force him to sit out the rest of Saturday’s game.

But the Heat appeared to receive even more good news after winning Game 3. Butler’s right knee inflammation injury “isn’t considered serious” and there’s a “strong possibility” he’ll play in Monday’s Game 4, Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes reported.

Butler and the Heat got off to a great start in Game 3. They took a 39-18 lead at the end of the first quarter and led by as much as 26 points in the first half. However, the Celtics went on a 10-0 run going into halftime and Butler didn’t return following the break.

With Butler out, the Celtics started to slowly chip into the Heat’s lead. Boston pulled within one point with less than three minutes to go, but Miami was able to pull away without its leading scorer, winning 109-103.

It’s unclear when Butler suffered his injury in Saturday’s game or if it was a prior issue entering Game 3. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t provide an update on Butler’s status following the game.

Butler had high-scoring outputs in the first two games of the series, scoring 41 and 29 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively. But he wasn’t as dominant of a scorer in Game 3, scoring eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.