Jimmy Butler out for second half of Game 3 of Eastern Conference Finals with knee injury

Heat rule Jimmy Butler out for second half of Game 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Miami Heat have announced that starting forward Jimmy Butler will miss the remainder of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Butler, who had eight points over 20 minutes in the first half, is suffering from a right knee injury.

Over the first two games of the series, Butler averaged 35 points per game for the Heat, including a 41-point masterpiece in a Game 1 victory.

It doesn't sound like Butler's absence will be a long-term one, however, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that a return in Game 4 is "in play."