Heat Nation collectively held its breath late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's Game 1 against the Knicks.
With Miami leading by three points and just five minutes left in the contest, Heat star Jimmy Butler suffered an ugly right ankle injury.
Butler has been a different beast in these playoffs, averaging a postseason-best 37.6 points per game to lead Miami to the second round.
How serious is Butler's injury? The Sporting News has the latest updates below.
MORE: How long is Tyler Herro out with hand injury?
What is Jimmy Butler's injury?
Late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Knicks, Butler went down with a right ankle injury after getting tangled up with Josh Hart on a drive to the basket.
Jimmy Butler is down after rolling his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/VeiDjcF5E2
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 30, 2023
Butler stayed down for a moment, and it seemed as though he would have to come out of the game. But he elected to tough it out with his team holding a narrow lead.
Jimmy Butler limped to the free throw line after rolling his ankle.
— ESPN (@espn) April 30, 2023
He made both. pic.twitter.com/Obfa4NBqEC
He didn't check out of the game until there were 23 seconds remaining and Miami had secured the victory. Butler finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in 43 minutes of play.
How long will Jimmy Butler be out?
Just over an hour before tip-off, the Heat announced that Butler will be out for Game 2 with a sprained right ankle.
#MIAvsNYK INJURY UPDATE: Jimmy Butler (ankle) has been ruled out of tonight’s Game 2 vs the Knicks.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 2, 2023
Butler's next chance to suit up is Thursday, May 4 when the series returns to Miami for Game 3.
Recovery time for rolled/sprained ankle
There are three types of ankle sprains: Grade 1 (mild), Grade 2 (moderate) and Grade 3 (severe). A severe sprain can take multiple weeks to fully heal, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The grade of Butler's ankle sprain is unclear. The Heat will only be able to establish a recovery timeline for Butler once they know the severity of the injury.
Knicks vs. Heat schedule
Here is the complete schedule for the second-round series between New York and Miami:
| Date | Game | Time (ET)/Result | TV channel |
| April 30 | Game 1 | Heat 108, Knicks 101 | ABC |
| May 2 | Game 2 | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| May 6 | Game 3 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| May 8 | Game 4 | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| May 10 | Game 5* | TBD | TNT |
| May 12 | Game 6* | TBD | ESPN |
| May 15 | Game 7* | 8 p.m. | TNT |
*If necessary
