The Miami Heat expect to have All-Star Jimmy Butler back in the lineup when they host the woeful New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
How long they will have him is uncertain.
Butler has missed the last five games while recovering from a flu-like illness. During that time it has been reported that Butler wants to be traded amid a contract negotiation, though he was vague about his state of mind after returning to practice Tuesday.
“Right now, I’m here and I’m going to make the most of it,” Butler said. “I am going to compete and I’m going to win. It’s a lot of talk, a lot of noise, which I’m cool with. It doesn’t bother me at all. I love that. I thrive with it. It keeps you all wondering, the world wondering. It’s good to be talked about. Even better to be wanted.”
Butler’s future isn’t the only headline that could be distracting. The Heat’s last game, a 104-100 victory at Houston on Sunday, was marred by a late-game skirmish.
“It’s a shame that that’ll be the discussion of this game because really it was more about the competitive character and that toughness that our guys brought,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Tyler Herro made a jumper to give Miami a one-point lead with 1:56 left and Nikola Jovic pushed the lead to four with a 3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left.
In the final seconds, Herro exchanged words with Rockets forward Amen Thompson, who grabbed Herro’s jersey and tossed him down. Players and coaches from both teams ran over and a brief skirmish ensued.
Herro and teammate Terry Rozier were ejected, as were four Rockets. The NBA announced Tuesday that Rozier will serve a one-game suspension against New Orleans and Herro was fined $25,000.
The Pelicans had an opportunity to win their last game, but instead lost their 10th in a row, 116-113 against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
New Orleans led by as many as 14 points and fought off the Clippers for most of the fourth quarter, but James Harden broke a tie by making two free throws with 17.9 seconds left and Pelicans rookie Yves Missi missed one of two free throws with a chance to tie with 4.3 seconds left.
“We have to be more consistent,” guard Dejounte Murray said. “It is tough, but we are trying to figure it out. I can say nobody in that locker room is showing up with the mindset of ‘We are going to lose, do not want to be here or do not want to play.'”
CJ McCollum scored 33, making a season-high eight 3-pointers as New Orleans hit a season-high 18 from beyond the arc. He said “it takes time” for him and Murray, acquired in an offseason trade with Atlanta, to get to know one another and they have played in just 15 games together because of injuries.
“I am finally at a spot where I feel like myself,” McCollum said. “Obviously when losing games, you want to help any way you can, but you feel like you are coming up short. … We are heading in a good direction. It’s just unfortunate that we dug such a horrible hole.”
–Field Level Media
