The Miami Heat pulled off a gritty 108-101 win in Game 1 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks, but star forward Jimmy Butler went down with an ankle injury late in the contest.
Jimmy in pain after turning his ankle pic.twitter.com/1HuifDAbqO
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) April 30, 2023
Butler stayed in the game, toughing things out. However, he didn’t make much of an impact on the court after the injury. Following the game, he gave an update.
Jimmy Butler on how his injury feels: "Like a rolled ankle."
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) April 30, 2023
The six-time All-Star finished the contest with 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and 9-for-11 shooting from the charity stripe. He played all but five minutes in the game.
After a quick start, the Heat found themselves in a pretty large hole to end the first quarter. They kept chipping away at the lead, however, and eventually took control of the game in the second half.
Miami got some big performances from players like Gabe Vincent, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love. Vincent went 5-for-12 from beyond the arc to record 20 points. Lowry had 18 points, five rebounds, six assists and an incredible four blocks. His veteran savvy was on full display throughout the match.
As for Love, he hit some big triples, grabbed some rebounds and had phenomenal outlet passes that sparked a nice Heat run. The one-time champ finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
“It probably started with Kevin Love’s outlet passes.” — Spoelstra
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) April 30, 2023
Heat fans will be on the lookout for more news about Butler’s injury. Given that Miami took Game 1, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Butler sit out Game 2 before returning when the series shifts to South Florida.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra, who dropped an F-bomb after seeing Butler go down in the fourth quarter, talked about his status following the game.
Erik Spoelstra says too soon to know more on Jimmy Butler's ankle. Spoelstra said it will be "a waiting game."
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) April 30, 2023
Miami has to be pretty happy with coming away with a victory away from home. Madison Square Garden, which has always had very loud and passionate fans, was rocking all throughout the game.
Despite having home-court advantage, the Knicks couldn’t really buy a bucket from beyond the arc, going 7-for-34 from 3-point range.
That should change over the course of the series, and the Heat will need to be prepared for that. Game 2 of the series is set for Tuesday night, with the first contest in Miami taking place on Saturday afternoon.
