CLEVELAND _ All-Star wing Jimmy Butler remains away from the Heat due to personal reasons and will miss his second consecutive game.
Butler has been ruled out of Monday's road game against the Cavaliers and did not travel with the team Sunday afternoon to Cleveland. The next opportunity for Butler to return to the court will come when the Heat hosts the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Butler's personal situation also forced him to miss Saturday's 124-105 blowout home win over the Cavaliers, which included Dwyane Wade's jersey-retirement ceremony at halftime. In addition, the same personal issue prevented Butler from attending Friday night's "Flashback" event for Wade, with Butler one of the only Heat players who was not at the event held at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Butler is healthy; his absence does not involve any injury.
Butler's absence from Wade's weekend is notable, considering Butler and Wade are close friends after spending one season together as teammates with the Bulls in 2016-17. Butler called Wade on Friday to inform him that he would be unable to attend Friday night's event honoring Wade.
Monday will mark the 10th game Butler, 30, has missed this season. He missed the first three games of the season while on paternity leave following the birth of his daughter, the fourth game because of an illness, the fifth game because of lower back soreness, the sixth game because of right hip soreness, and the seventh and eighth games because of a right shoulder strain.
The Heat has posted a 5-4 record in the first nine games Butler has missed.
Butler is averaging a team-high 20.6 points on 45.3% shooting from the field and 24.6% shooting on threes this season. He's also averaging a team-high 6.2 assists.
Along with Butler, center Meyers Leonard (sprained left ankle) and rookie guard Tyler Herro (right ankle soreness) have been ruled out for Monday's game in Cleveland. It will mark the eighth consecutive game Leonard and Herro have missed with their respective injuries.
With Butler and Herro unavailable, guard Gabe Vincent rejoined the Heat on Sunday as part of his two-way contract. Vincent, an undrafted rookie, has already played in four games for the Heat this season.
Vincent is averaging 16.6 points while shooting 39% on three pointers (30 for 77) in eight games for the Heat's G-League team in South Dakota. He has 12 points in four NBA games for the Heat and is 4 for 16 on three-pointers in those games.
With Butler and Leonard out, Erik Spoelstra on Saturday started Derrick Jones Jr. and Kelly Olynyk alongside regular starters Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn. Those five have played 38 minutes together this season and the Heat has shot 55% both from the field and on three-pointers during those minutes.
