NBA Cup Game: Miami Heat Make Critical Injury Announcement vs Pistons

March 5, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA: At Kaseya Center, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) stands up for Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler (22). It is required that Rhona Wise-Imagn Images be credited.
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The Miami Heat, who will be without a vital player in Jimmy Butler, will face the Detroit Pistons in the opening round of NBA Cup play on Tuesday night.

The Heat’s injury report states that Butler will not play tonight. At the moment, he is coping with a sprained right ankle. It is currently unknown when the All-Star forward will return.

Butler had a strong start to the year. Sadly, Butler only played seven minutes in the game against the Denver Nuggets on November 8. He only had two points, one rebound, and two assists before he departed the game.

Butler played in seven games for the Heat prior to the contest against the Nuggets. He was making over half of his field goals and averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Butler was absent from Sunday’s Heat game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nevertheless, Miami won by a single point to advance out of Minnesota. They enter Detroit on Tuesday night with a 4-5 record for the season.

Butler has played against the Pistons nine games since joining the Heat in 2019. The Heat and the Pistons faced off earlier this year. Miami wanted to defeat the Pistons for the sixth time in a row. Butler was there for the fight at the time.

Butler scored 23 points in 34 minutes, shooting 63 percent from the field. In addition, he had four rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. The Pistons lost to the Heat 106-98.

The Pistons have since shown themselves to be a far more formidable foe this season. Since defeating the Philadelphia 76ers on the road for the first time, they have won four of their last seven games.

Miami is still a formidable opponent, even though they may be shorthanded against the Pistons on Tuesday. They had a 13-9 winning record the previous season without Butler. At 7:00 PM ET, the two teams will start their matchup.