NBA

Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Celtics' Payton Pritchard grabbing Jimmy Butler's leg: 'It was not a basketball play'

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Payton Pritchard
(Getty Images)

We've got another knee-twisting controversy in the NBA Playoffs.

During the first half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard found himself in a bad spot defensively. Pritchard bumped into Heat star Jimmy Butler near the left wing and fell to the floor. Grant Williams switched onto Pritchard's assignment, Tyler Herro, but Pritchard had no way of recovering quickly enough to prevent Butler from penetrating into the paint.

As Butler began his drive, Pritchard reached out and grabbed Butler's right leg, leaving multiple Heat players upset.

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Butler missed the second half of Miami's Game 3 win because of right knee inflammation. While speaking to reporters on Monday, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't go so far as to blame Pritchard for Butler's injury, but he clearly wasn't happy about the foul.

"We don't know [if Pritchard caused the injury]. It could have had an effect," Spoelstra said. "It was not a basketball play. We're not really sure why it was determined as that was a basketball play, or that was a legal play or that was a safe play. We're not going to say it's bigger than it was because we don't know if that's what triggered Jimmy's injury.

"But, regardless, it should be two separate examples. And we don't need it. We don't care. The league doesn't have to do anything. We're not begging."

It's worth noting that Butler has previously missed time because of right knee inflammation. He was ruled out of Game 5 against the Hawks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs with the same injury designation.

"It's a recurring thing, an off-and-on thing," ESPN's Zach Lowe said during "Get Up" on Monday. "My understanding is there is no belief that whatever that was had anything to do with Jimmy Butler not playing in the second half of the game."

Butler was able to suit up for Game 4, but he struggled in a blowout loss. The six-time All-Star scored just six points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field as the Celtics evened the series.

Miami and Boston will face off again in a pivotal Game 5 on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.