Jimmy Butler's game status & injury reports ahead of Spurs/Heat brunch battle

San Antonio gets another opportunity to conquer a team that's been dominating them today. Miami is on a three-game win streak against the Silver and Black and is 8-2 in their last ten meetings. This is the perfect chance to start course-correcting with all the drama that's been surrounding the Heat and recently suspended Jimmy Butler, as they're currently on a three-game losing streak.

Butler's seven-game suspension has been served, and despite the reports that he'd rather not play for Miami any longer, he'll be on the court for the game vs. the Spurs. He played his first game after his punishment on Friday against the Denver Nuggets, and he is not on the injury report, so fans can expect to see Jimmy Buckets on the court.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Jeremy Sochan, who is still out with a back injury. He's the only player besides the two-way guys listed on the report. As for Miami, former Spur Josh Richardson is out with a heel injury, Nikola Jovic is questionable with an elbow injury, and their best three-point shooter, Dru Smith, is out for the season with an Achilles injury.

The Spurs must take advantage of the Heat's troubles

Butler and Pat Riley have been having a very public standoff, resulting in a shocking seven-game team suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. But Riley likely started this whole thing when he criticized Butler following the Heat's exit from the playoffs last season. The Heat forward reportedly didn't appreciate the public lashing he received from the team president.

In any case, the South Beach team is 4-6 in their last ten games, losing left and right, so it's the perfect time for the Spurs to get them. The Silver and Black are on a slide of their own and they'll need to be careful because Miami is still dangerous.

Tyler Herro is averaging 24.2 points per game, and they have more than a few capable three-point shooters hovering over 40% for the season. Without Jeremy Sochan, the Spurs will need to focus harder on preventing Butler and Herro from penetrating, collapsing the defense, and forcing rotations that lead to mistakes and open shots.

They're looking at San Antonio and thinking the same thing, though. They see a struggling team they can use to get back on track, so expect to see Miami's best effort. The difference between the two is that Butler doesn't want to be there, so that team is fractured. If the Spurs stay poised and play hard for 48 minutes, they should come out on top.