The Miami Heat moved one step closer to being full strength.
On Friday, Jimmy Butler was back in the lineup and helped the Heat to a 124-118 victory against the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena. Butler, who missed the past three games with an ankle injury, finished with 23 points. Tyler Herro led the Heat with 24 points.
“It was a lot of fun," Butler said. "Obviously, it felt good to be back. Still have to get my rhythm and get used to running up and down the court. It’s always good to be a part of a win.”
The Heat spent most of the past month playing without several players because of injuries or health and safety protocols. Center Bam Adebayo, who has been sidelined since early January, could return early as Monday. The Heat were excited about getting Butler back even though he is still working out kinks.
“He was beside himself in one of the timeouts in the third quarter," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Upset at himself at how he was impacting the game, and we’re all looking at him like ‘dude, c’mon, what are you talking about?’. He came alive in that fourth quarter. You just can’t really describe what Jimmy is like when he gets like that. He can impact the game as well as anybody on both ends of the court.”
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