Raul Zarraga, NBA Mexico Senior Vice President and Managing Director said, “Bringing the Heat and the Wizards to Mexico City next season in conjunction with ‘Día de los Muertos’ will mark another special milestone in the NBA’s long history in Mexico. The game and surrounding events will serve as the ultimate celebration of the NBA for fans in Mexico and across Latin America at a time when the momentum around basketball in the region is at an all-time high.”
In just a few hours, Mexico will witness a historic moment as the NBA plays its 33rd game in the country. What makes this event historic is that it marks the most NBA games played outside the United States and Canada. So as the Miami Heat and the Washington Wizards travel to Mexico, will Jimmy Butler play?
Is Jimmy Butler playing? What does the Miami Heat injury report say?
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“I want to play as many games as possible. I’ll leave it at that. I don’t need to put a number on the amount of games that I play. I know the more games that I play, the more opportunities that my squad has of winning. I do know that.” This is what the 6× NBA All-Star said before the season began. And yes he is going, just like what he said.
In the play-in tournament, he suffered an injury that sprained his right MCL, which led to losing the play-in to the 76ers. However, there is good news about it. The hooper has no injuries now and is out of the injury report. And as he said, he has played eight matches this season (including preseason) missing only one single match in the preseason against the Memphis.
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The 6× NBA All-Star so far is seen delivering his best performance. For instance, a standout against the Piston included a 23-points, where he shot 63.6% from the field and recorded 7 assists. He also had a strong game against the Hornets, scoring 26 points with 8 rebounds and 8 assists, showcasing his all-around impact.
Butler played the highest number of games last during his time in the Bulls in the 2012-13 season which was 82 games. Then in 2019, in his first season in the Heat, he played 64 games and in 2023-24 he was limited to only a 60-game campaign. And now as he looks to bounce back to a huge number, the start looks promising. But is anyone injured in the Heat?
As Mexico will welcome the hoopers with their traditional Día de los Muertos celebrations, their star forward Duncan Robinson, is reported as out due to personal reasons. So far he has played in all the games and averages 5.3 points while shooting 26.7% from the field, with 1.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. But he isn’t the only player missing out.
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Kevin Love is also reported as out due to personal reasons. He missed all four matches in the regular season but averages 4.8 points while shooting 50.0% from the field, with 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game in the preseasons.
In summary, as Butler still stands strong, his participation in the NBA Mexico City game would be a significant boost for the Miami Heat, given his leadership and scoring ability. Will Butler be able to bounce back and lead his team to victory in this crucial matchup?
