Latest on who’s in and who’s out for Monday’s Heat-Nuggets game: Herro, Butler ruled out

The Miami Heat will be without two of its top players in Monday night’s matchup against the Denver Nuggets at FTX Arena.

Heat leading scorer Jimmy Butler (tail bone contusion) and sixth man extraordinaire Tyler Herro (overall body soreness) were listed as questionable, but they were both ruled out for Monday’s contest just a few hours before tipoff.

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Butler suffered a tail bone contusion on a hard fall during Saturday’s win over the Chicago Bulls. He was able to finish the game, recording 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, four rebounds, five assists and five steals in 36 minutes.

Monday marks the fourth game that Butler has missed this season. He sat out three games earlier this month because of a sprained right ankle.

As for Herro, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Saturday’s win in Chicago that Herro was “under the weather.”

It marks the second straight game that Herro, who is the NBA’s leading scorer off the bench, has missed because of the illness and the third game he has missed this season. He also sat out the Heat’s Nov. 18 win against the Washington Wizards because of a bruised right wrist.

Without Herro against the Bulls on Saturday, the Heat used a bench rotation that included Caleb Martin, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. Miami will also need to make a change to its starting lineup with Butler unavailable.

Monday marks the first meeting between the Heat and Nuggets since reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic shoved Markieff Morris to the court from behind in retaliation to a hard foul on Nov. 8 in Denver.

Morris has been ruled out for the 11th consecutive game because of whiplash stemming from Jokic’s shove. In addition, the Heat will be without Victor Oladipo (right knee injury recovery) and Marcus Garrett (G League assignment) on Monday.

But Jokic will play against the Heat after missing Denver’s last four games because of a sprained right wrist.

The Nuggets will be without JaMychal Green (left elbow sprain), P.J. Dozier (left ACL sprain), Jamal Murray (left knee injury management) and Michael Porter Jr. (low back pain) on Monday.