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Jimmy Butler Injury Could Cause Massive Shift to Bulls vs. Heat Play-In Tournament Odds

Jimmy Butler's MCL injury could cause a massive odds movement in the play-in tournament matchup between the Heat and Bulls.

By Shelby Dermer

Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) picks up a loose ball against the 76ers.
Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) picks up a loose ball against the 76ers. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Miami Heat let a golden opportunity to grab the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs slip away Wednesday night when they squandered a double-digit halftime lead in an eventual one-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at home. 

Now, the Heat could be without star forward Jimmy Butler with their season on the line. According to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Butler is expected to miss multiple weeks with an MCL injury. He played 40 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the 76ers, finishing with 19 points, five assists, five steals and four rebounds. 

The Heat were already longshots for a deep playoff run, but those odds could be stretched even further with a Butler sidelined, an elimination game up next and a date with the top-seeded Boston Celtics on deck if they were to grab the No. 8 seed. 

As of Thursday afternoon, the Heat are +8000 ($100 bet wins $8,000) to win the Eastern Conference, which is an implied probability of just 1.23% of Miami reaching the NBA Finals for the second straight season. 

Heat still favored in play-in tournament

Despite the devastating injury news on Butler, the Heat are still favored to advance to the first round of the playoffs. According to FanDuel, Miami is a 1.5-point favorite in Friday’s play-in tournament matchup against the Chicago Bulls at Kaseya Center. 

The two teams split the four regular-season meetings, which all occurred early in the first half of the year. The last matchup was on Dec. 16, with Miami pulling out a 118-116 home victory. Butler played in all four games against Chicago. 

Miami went 13-9 straight up in the 22 games Butler missed during the regular season. 

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Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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