Jimmy Butler and his Miami Heat squad are gearing up for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets. They had a bit of a hiccup in Game 3 even though they were expected to win their first home game of the series. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra is known for making quick adjustments to make a comeback in follow-up games.
The Denver Nuggets have taken a 2-1 lead in the series. Another victory would put the Heat in an extremely tough situation. Game 4 is a must-win matchup for Miami or they’ll reach a 3-1 deficit. Not many teams have made it through 3-1 deficits. And the last time this took place was during the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden States Warriors.
Jimmy Butler is available to start for Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets
Jimmy Butler will be available to captain the Miami Heat team in Game 4. He became extremely dominant during the start of the playoffs and helped the 8th-seeded Heat reach the finals. Over the last couple of games, he hasn’t been himself mainly due to personal reasons. But Jimmy still managed to fire 28 points in Game 4 in an attempt to cut the chase.
Tyler Herro just doing some dribbling as he has a small wrap/tape on that surgically repaired shooting hand. pic.twitter.com/31wfTNJw1G
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 8, 2023
Tyler Herro broke his band during the Heat’s postseason opener which sidelined him for the remainder of the playoffs. Herro has been practicing with the team but doesn’t plan on returning as he feels it would ruin Miami’s rhythm. Herro averaged 20.1 points and shot 43.9% from the field as well as 37.8% from three. Here are the injury reports for both teams.
Miami Heat Injury Report
• Tyler Herro (Out)
• Victor Oladipo (Out)
Miami Heat Expected Roster
• Gabe Vincent
• Max Strus
• Jimmy Butler
• Kevin Love
• Bam Adebayo
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
• Collin Gillespie (Out)
Denver Nuggets Expected Roster
• Jamal Murray
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
• Michael Porter Jr.
• Aaron Gordon
• Nikola Jokic
Once again, Denver is keeping it steady. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been putting up historic numbers for the Nuggets. The only injury to be concerned about is Murray’s floor burn that happened before Game 3. Despite the injury, the point guard recorded a triple-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in Game 3.
Jimmy Butler and the Heat are expected to tie the series against the Nuggets
Jimmy Butler usually doesn’t like repeating the same mistakes twice. In Game 3, the team’s shooting splits were mediocre. The Heat shot 37% on 92 attempts from the field. Their inability to convert the shot attempt is what kept the Heat away from matching the Nuggets’ score in Game 3. However, Miami turned over the ball four times which was quite impressive. Besides Jimmy and Adebayo, the supporting cast had a rough time scoring baskets.
If the Heat continues to play this way, then they might risk bringing back Herro. The former Sixth Man of the Year is very reliable in shooting. Denver doesn’t need to make too many major changes besides delivering from three more consistently. Their entire starting five have been great offensively. However, considering that Miami still has homecourt advantage, they are expected to win Game 4.