Instead of counting on Jimmy Butler to lead the team into the postseason, the Miami Heat will be in full collective-effort mode when they host the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in the loser-goes-home play-in game.
Butler will sit out with a sprained MCL in his right knee that was sustained during Wednesday's 105-104 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Butler underwent an MRI exam Thursday that determined the severity. It is possible t hat Butler has played his final game of the 2023-24 season, whether or not the Heat win the pivotal game against Chicago.
"It felt like I couldn't do too much, which sucks with the timing of the game and everything," Butler said after the Philadelphia game. "I hope that I'm fine. ... Right now, I can't say that's the case."
The winner of the Miami-Chicago game advances to play the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Butler was injured in the first quarter of Wednesday's game and remained in the contest. He finished with 19 points but was just 5-of-18 shooting.
His lack of effectiveness was noticeable in the second half. Butler took j ust two shots -- making one -- in the final quarter.
"I wasn't able to do anything on either side of the ball," Butler said. "I think I hurt us more than I helped us, actually."
The Heat also will need better efforts from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo against the Bulls. Herro scored 25 points against Philadelphia but made just nine of 27 shots. Adebayo had just 10 points but did collect 12 rebounds.
The loss to the 76ers leaves Miami in a similar position as last season when the Heat lost their first play-in game (to Atlanta) before beating Chicago 102-91 in the second contest to reach the playoffs. The Heat eventually advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets.
Miami finished with a 15- 1 burst to overcome the Bulls last season.
"I remember that plane ride back home vividly," Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan said. "Everybody was just frustrated. That feeling sucked. I know for me, that's one thing that's on my mind once I realized we were going back to Miami -- to not have that same feeling."
The Bulls earned this trip to South Florida by virtue of a 131-116 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Coby White poured in 42 points -- a career best, though the game won't count toward official stat-keeping -- to lead the way.
White also is fueled by last season's loss and felt this season's four games against Miami were highly contested. T he teams split two two-game sets this season.
"It's going to be a junkyard fight, a dogfight," White said. "We know Miami, they know us. ... We have to come in ready to compete and leave it all on the floor."
Bulls guard Alex Caruso is questionable with a sprained left ankle. He sustained the injury when teammate Andre Drummond was running up court and stepped on his ankle. Drummond (left ankle) and Ayo Dosunmu (quadricep) also are questionable and played Wednesday despite their injuries.
Caruso is expecting his club to be ready for the task.
"We've got guys on the team when the lights come on and they are bright, they step up to the challenge," Caruso said. "I've had moments like that in my career; DeMar countless numbers. (Nikola Vucevic) has played playoff basketball."
"I think that's one of great strengths that we do have guys who can go off any given night. Coby's put in the work. It's not surprising for us because we know how good he can be and that's how confident we want him to play all the time."
Miami guard Terry Rozier (neck) also has been ruled out of Friday's game. This will be his sixth straight missed game.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to LeBron James on occasion over the last 18 months, but their interest in trying to trade for the Los Angeles Lakers star may be stronger than has been previously reported. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported this week that the Warriors would likely have some interest in James if the Lakers were ever to entertain a trade. To that end, the Warriors have called the Lakers on “multiple occasions” over the last 18 months to gauge the Lakers’ willingness to trade James. The report adds that there is a strong belief that James and Steph Curry very much enjoyed their time together as teammates during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is one motivator for Golden State. The Lakers, of course, have not been willing to trade James, even though there were some hints of trouble between the two sides this summer. It is fair to question whether the Warriors would have the resources to pull off such a trade even if it were plausible. It is accurate that the Warriors are likely to be linked to James in any case where he is perceived to be available. Pairing him and Curry together would likely be a result of the Warriors trying to make one last run at a championship during the twilight of Curry’s career.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
Saturday was not a good day for Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, two players competing for a spot on the 53-man roster of their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hours after Shedeur took more sacks (five) than completions (three) and had a heated moment with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Shilo was ejected from the Buccaneers' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. "Bucs S Shilo Sanders has been ejected from tonight's game following an unnecessary roughness penalty," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers posted on X. Shilo appeared to take exception to Zach Davidson hitting and blocking him after a play had ended before the rookie took a swing at the Bills' tight end. The ejection came at a bad time for Shilo, who was competing with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the No. 4 safety spot on the depth chart. Before the game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Shilo's output against the Bills would be big in his evaluation before the team has to trim the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. "Shilo's very aggressive, very young, very hungry," Bowles said. "He can make plays in the box and we know he can run down and give us 100% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up." Following the ejection, Shilo lost critical playing time to show his strengths on the field. He also showed the coaching staff a short temper and cost Tampa Bay with an unnecessary penalty. Shilo will end his preseason with four total tackles. He has shown he has the talent to be in the league, but Shilo's role will likely be as a practice squad player until his play and mental strength develop.
The Minnesota Vikings sent the 142nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Seattle Seahawks for Sam Howell and the 172nd overall pick, but the quarterback may not even make the Week 1 roster. With roster cuts right around the corner, nobody should be too surprised if Minnesota cuts the former late-round pick and moves forward with a different option behind J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy is clearly entrenched atop the depth chart, and undrafted free agent Max Brosmer has played well against admittedly weak competition. While entrusting him to be the full-time backup would be dangerous, he might not make it through waivers if the team cuts him. He’d be an ideal third quarterback for the 2025 season with the potential to grow into a long-term backup. Sam Howell, however, has struggled for the Vikings. While he had a good drive or two, the overall body of work leaves a lot to be desired. Minnesota recently brought in Carson Wentz for a visit, and he’d be a capable QB2 for the season. Cutting Howell would be surprising, but perhaps they could trade him to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their backup quarterback while Aidan O’Connell recovers from a wrist injury. Vikings, Raiders Could Agree to Aidan O’Connell Trade Aidan O’Connell is not a starting-caliber quarterback, but he is one of the league’s better backups. The former fourth-round pick has started 17 games over the past two seasons, going 7-10 on a weak roster while completing 62.6% of his passes for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Again, he’s clearly an inferior option to Geno Smith, but he’s more than capable of filling in and keeping the offense afloat. Unfortunately, he’s going to miss some time thanks to a wrist injury sustained in the preseason finale. Reports indicate he will miss 6-8 weeks with this injury, and Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reports Vegas will look for a new quarterback. Howell could be the ideal choice, as Cam Miller is the only other quarterback on the roster. Much like O’Connell, Howell is not a starting-caliber quarterback in this league, but he possesses starting experience. The fifth-round pick led the Washington Commanders in 2023, starting all 17 games while finishing the year with 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. Again, there’s a reason he spent the 2024 season as a backup, but he could be a valuable insurance policy for a team that believes they can compete in 2025.