The Miami Heat will be without a superstar player when they face the Kings on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler is suspended for Miami's tilt with Sacramento on Monday due to his involvement in an on-court altercation with members of the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, the NBA announced on Sunday.
Butler is among three Heat players who were disciplined for the incident, with center Thomas Bryant and forward Nikola Jović also receiving suspensions that will keep them out of Monday night's game.
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The 34-year-old Butler is Miami's leading scorer during the 2023-24 NBA season at 21.4 points per game, giving Sacramento a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on his absence.
Jović is averaging 5.8 points in 16.7 minutes per game this season. Bryant averages 10.4 minutes per contest, recording 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The Kings (32-23) enter Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.
NBA
Miami being without three rotation players could prove to be a massive break for Sacramento on the second night of a back-to-back, with every game gaining more importance down the stretch run of the season.