Heat get hopeful update on return of Jimmy Butler and other injured players

Jimmy Butler will travel with the Miami Heat to San Francisco for their game against the Warriors, and the team is hopeful he and several other injured players will be able to make their return to the lineup.

Butler has missed the last three games with a calf strain but was a partial participant in Wednesday’s practice in Miami. The Heat have gone 3-0 without Butler in that stretch, but will need him for this upcoming four-game, West-coast trip. The Heat face the Warriors on Thursday before games in Utah against the Jazz and Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers. 

Jimmy Butler could return from a strained calf that has sidelined him for the last three games. The Heat are also expecting the returns of three other players at some point during the upcoming four-game trip.

In addition to Butler, Josh Richardson was also a partial participant in Wednesday’s practice after missing the Christmas Day game with a back injury.

Haywood Highsmith, who missed the Christmas game with the flu, participated in practice fully and is expected to play in San Francisco Thursday.

Caleb Martin, who sprained his ankle in the first half of Monday night’s game, did not practice and is considered questionable for Thursday night. An X-ray on the ankle came back clean, but he did only light work off to the side of Wednesday’s practice.

The good news for the Heat is that all four are traveling with the team to begin the West-coast swing, so the team believes there is a chance all will participate at some point between now and their return home.