Jimmy Butler adjusts ankle, then leaves Heat game with illness

MIAMI – Jimmy Butler appeared to twist his left ankle and left Miami’s game against Oklahoma City in the first quarter Friday night.

Butler was ruled out before the start of the second quarter due to illness, the team said. There was no immediate word on the condition of the ankle.

Butler left with 4:41 left in the first quarter. He was scoreless and finished with two assists.

Butler, the subject of recent trade rumors, was coming off one of the best performances of his career – 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in a loss to Detroit on Monday.

It’s unclear how much more time, if any, Butler will miss because of the illness or the ankle. The Heat play in Orlando on Saturday, host Brooklyn on Monday and return to Orlando on December 26.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.