A familiar face will be back on the court for the Miami Heat on Saturday night, with Jimmy Butler given clearance to play in the Heat’s Saturday night game against the Sacramento Kings.
#SACvsMIA UPDATE: Jimmy Butler (health and safety protocols), Udonis Haslem (personal) and Andre Iguodala (neck) will all be available for tonight's game vs the Kings.
Avery Bradley (knee) has been ruled out.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 30, 2021
The 31-year-old Butler has been absent from the Heat’s last 10 games due to the safety protocols related to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
While there’s been no confirmation that he had been dealing with the virus, Butler’s noticeably thinner frame was evident during Wednesday night’s game against Denver.
Butler’s absence, among others, has been devastating to the Heat. Over those 10 contests that Butler sat out, the Heat only managed to win twice.
While both Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem will also be available, only Iguodala is likely to see action. Iguodala sat out Thursday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the second contest that he’s missed this season.
The havoc caused by the COVID-19 protocols is one of the chief reasons why the Heat enter the Kings contest with a 6-12 record on the season, the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
