The Miami Heat were victorious on Wednesday when Jimmy Butler returned, leading wire-to-wire in a 119-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
However, Butler did not play a single minute in the fourth quarter as Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to leave his star player out of the final lineup.
“I mean, 13 days is a long time and I just went with the group there in the fourth that was giving us the most and to see if that group could close out,” Spoelstra told reporters after the game, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Butler last played on December 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The six-time All-Star missed the next three games due to illness and two additional contests for “return-to-competition reconditioning.”
Butler's future in South Beach is uncertain with his name involved in trade rumors. Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley issued a response to the reports last week, saying the club would not trade him.
-Butler finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes of action against the Pelicans. Tyler Herro scored 32 points to help the Heat improve to 17-14 this campaign.
Butler can become a free agent this summer if he declines his $52.4 million player option for 2025-26.
