Heat's Jimmy Butler's X-Rays Negative on Foot Injury Suffered vs. Jazz

Jimmy Butler suffered an ankle injury as the Miami Heat were defeated by the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, although an X-ray on his foot came back negative (per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).

Butler played 23 minutes and scored eight points before leaving the game in the third quarter. He was unable to return. The 34-year-old was appearing in his first game after missing four contests due to a separate calf issue.

Butler has struggled to remain healthy in recent years, suiting up in fewer than 65 games in each of the past four seasons. He's already missed eight of Miami's first 32 contests this year. Butler is far from the only Heat player to deal with injuries though, as teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have also missed several games this season due to various health issues.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged the challenge of maintaining consistency with his rotation constantly in flux, although he believes that the team has gotten better recently.

"You still can find ways to win while you're building continuity, while you're dealing with lineup changes and guys in and out of the rotation," he said, via Winderman. "It's a talent to learn how to win despite circumstances. We're getting a little bit better with that."

While his regular season availability isn't always consistent, Butler has continued to elevate his performances in the playoffs. He's led Miami to multiple NBA Finals appearances, including last year's incredible postseason run as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. In 23 playoff games last season, Butler averaged 26.9 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field.

The Heat fell to 19-13 following the defeat on Saturday night, although they still own the fifth-best record in the East. It'll be important to monitor Butler's status ahead of Miami's next game, a matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.