Heat's Butler (back) returns to injury report after limited outing in Charlotte

MIAMI — Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has returned to the team’s injury report for the second time in three weeks, this time due to the back pain that kept him out of the closing stages of Wednesday night’s 98-94 road victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Butler is listed as probable for Friday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center, with “back tightness.”

Butler is the second Heat player on the injury report with a back issue, with veteran center Kevin Love having missed Wednesday’s victory due to the back spasms that sidelined him after his initial stint in Tuesday night’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Love is listed as questionable for Friday night.

Butler previously missed four games from Nov. 10-17 with a sprained right ankle that took him out after his initial stint in the Nov. 8 road loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Butler, 35, then thrived after a pair of extended breaks, scoring 30 points in a home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers after the nine-day break due to the ankle sprain, and then 33 points in an overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks after a five-day break in the Heat’s schedule.

After a one-day turnaround from the Dallas game, Butler scored 23 in Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks, the third consecutive game he attempted at least 13 free throws.

The wear from that attacking style appeared to take a toll in Wednesday night’s victory, when he attempted only two shots, a pair of successful 3-pointers, otherwise passive in his 25:01. He checked out for good with 2:57 left in the third period, sitting even as the Hornets rallied into the lead from a 20-point deficit.

Asked about Butler’s status after Wednesday night’s game, with the Heat off Thursday, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “just a tight back.”

The question now is how much the Heat will be able to push Butler, with Friday night’s game against the Raptors opening another stretch of three games in four nights, including a road back-to-back set Sunday in Toronto and Monday against the Boston Celtics.

With Butler out for the close Wednesday night, guard Tyler Herro stepped up with 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 28.4 seconds to play and then a crucial steal 14 seconds later.

“Without Jimmy going down the stretch,” Spoelstra said, “it was great to have him be able to knock down some big ones.”

With Butler off, the Heat also got 22 points from Duncan Robinson, 11 points from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and a 10-rebound, 10-assist double-double from center Bam Adebayo.

“I think it was a night that everybody needed to step up,” Jaquez said of the victory in Charlotte. “We knew that was what was required. We had a lot of guys play big minutes (Tuesday), so it was only right for a lot of us to come in and step up and pick up some of that.”

Injury report

Beyond Butler and Love, Terry Rozier (foot) and Duncan Robinson (glute) are listed as probable for Friday, with Haywood Highsmith (finger), Dru Smith (knee) and Nikola Jovic (nose) listed as available.

Listed as out are two-way players Keshad Johnson and Josh Christopher, who are with the Sioux Falls Skyforce for their Friday night G League game against the Pistons’ affiliate.

Johnson had spent the past week with the Heat.

Out for the Raptors are former Heat forward Kelly Olynyk (back), as well as guard Immanuel Quickley (elbow), guard Grady Dick (calf) and former University of Miami guard Bruce Brown (conditioning).

The NBA Cup

While the Heat are not formally eliminated going into Friday night’s final game of their group-play schedule in the NBA Cup against the Raptors, at 1-2 in group play they effectively already are at the end of that road.

In order for the Heat to even have a chance to advance to the knockout round as the wild-card team in the East, now unable to bypass the Bucks to win their group, the following all would have to happen:

— The loser of the New York Knicks-Orlando Magic game would also have to lose its other remaining group-stage game.

— The Detroit Pistons, who already have defeated the Heat in group play, would have to lose their remaining two games, against the Indiana Pacers and Bucks.

— Two of the three teams in Group C at 2-1 (Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks) would have to lose their remaining game, with the Cleveland Cavaliers having to lose their two remaining group-play games.

If all that happens — which is even less likely with several of those teams to face each other — it then likely would come down to point differential, with the Heat at +10 at the moment through three of their four games.

As a matter of perspective, the leaders in plus/minus in East group play are the Magic at +37, Bucks at +29, Knicks at +14, Cavaliers and Bulls at +15 apiece and Hawks at +14.

Once eliminated the Heat then will have two games added to their schedule, one home and one away, during the windows of Dec. 12-13 for one game and Dec. 15-16 for the other.

The filling in of the Heat’s regular-season schedule will come after NBA Cup group play ends Tuesday. The Cup games also count in the regular-season standings.