Spo on Butler's late benching: I went with group that gave us the most
The Miami Heat were victorious Wednesday in Jimmy Butler's return, leading wire-to-wire in a 119-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
However, Butler didn't play a single minute in the fourth quarter as Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to leave his marquee player out of the closing lineup.
"I mean, 13 days is a long time away and I just went with the group there in the fourth that was giving us the most and to see if that group could close it out," Spoelstra told reporters postgame, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Butler last played Dec. 20 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The six-time All-Star missed the next three games due to illness and an additional two contests for "return to competition reconditioning."
Butler's future in South Beach has been uncertain with his name involved in trade rumors. Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley issued a response to those reports last week, stating the club won't trade him.
Butler finished with nine points, four boards, and two assists in 25 minutes of action against the Pelicans. Tyler Herro scored 32 points to help the Heat improve to 17-14 on the campaign.
Butler can hit free agency in the summer if he declines his $52.4-million player option for 2025-26.