He was a healthy scratch for last season's Dec. 18 matchup There are a lot of questions about Butler's desire to face his former team, but The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski posted on X that he "was planning on playing at Target Center for the first time in a while before the injury.

The Heat entered Saturday without a clear identity, ranked 15th out of 30 NBA teams in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating. The early-season defensive issues are most concerning, as the Heat has finished with a top-10 defensive rating in eight of the last nine seasons.

He sustained the injury as Butler was driving on Denver guard Jamal Murray as when he stopped abruptly, he turned his ankle, which garnered a vivid reaction of pain. While he would be in for a few more possessions, he would go straight to the locker room after being subbed out.