Is Jimmy Butler playing tonight? Injury report for Cavaliers vs Heat (UPDATED)

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers and Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers and Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images /
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Tonight the Cleveland Cavaliers play a key game against an Eastern Conference foe. The Miami Heat come into town having won three of their last four games to fully claim the sixth spot in the East, just 2.5 games back of the Cavs. Will the Heat have their full roster available for tonight’s game?

Jimmy Butler injury update (Updated January 31st)

Update: Jimmy Butler WILL play tonight against the Cavaliers

Jimmy Butler has missed a lot of time this season due to injury, playing in 36 of the Heat’s 51 games. Is he going to suit up tonight or log his 16th missed game? As of noon ET, the answer is still up in the air. Jimmy Butler is listed as questionable due to a quad contusion:

When Jimmy Butler is healthy, he is one of the 15 best players in the league (perhaps even Top 10). The problem is that he is increasingly beset with nagging injuries, such as the quad contusion he is currently dealing with. This season he has also been listed on the injury report with knee, ankle, hip and “reconditioning” as he tries to manage an 82-game schedule.

Thankfully for the Heat, Bam Adebayo is healthy and playing some of the best basketball of his career. He will be a difficult player for the Cavaliers to handle. If Jimmy Butler also plays, the Cavs will have their hands full; if Butler sits, they’ll have a better shot at picking up a key win.

What about the Cavaliers’ injured players?

Donovan Mitchell is off the injury report and expected to play tonight, while Kevin Love is listed as probable for the game tonight with back spasms. Dylan Windler is still out, but he has begun taking part in practices and could find his way onto the court sometime this season.

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Playing the Heat without Jimmy Butler is an easier path to victory, but given the short-handed teams the Cavs have had to play recently, facing a full-strength Miami Heat team will be a good test for this group, too.