Report: 'Optimism' Jimmy Butler Will Play in Knicks vs. Heat Game 3 Amid Ankle Injury

After sitting out the Heat's close Game 2 loss against the New York Knicks with a sprained ankle, Jimmy Butler may be good to go for Saturday's Game 3 at Kaseya Center in Miami.

Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Thursday that there is optimism that Butler would make his return thanks to the extended break after Tuesday's Game 2.

"As a guy that knows how competitive he is, I would be optimistic," Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. "But who knows, honestly?"

Butler injured his ankle late in Miami's Game 1 win at Madison Square Garden when driving against Josh Hart. Hart slipped into Butler's foot and it rolled over, causing him to stay on the ground for a while before finishing out the game, albeit as a decoy.

He still finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win, continuing his exceptional run of form in the postseason.

Without Butler, the Heat put up a strong effort in Game 2, leading for much of the night before they ultimately fell short by six points. They missed some of their star's late-game magic.

But they'll hopefully have it back for the two games in South Beach where Butler was all-time great in the Heat's Round 1 upset against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.

The last time the home crowd at Kaseya Center saw Butler, he was putting on one of the best playoff performances of all time in Game 4 against the Bucks. He poured in a career-high 56 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists on a ridiculous 19-of-28 shooting from the field.

Pushing a full-strength Knicks' team without Butler should give the Heat plenty of confidence over these next couple of games as they try to seize control of this series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row.

Butler has been averaging 35.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists on 58.5 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range in the postseason so far.

Game 3 of the series is set for Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET.