The Miami Heat were dealt a blow ahead of their Game 5 NBA Playoff matchup vs. the Atlanta Hawks when they received some unfortunate injury news on star forward Jimmy Butler. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Butler has been ruled out for Tuesday night's game due to right knee inflammation.

In addition to Butler, the Heat will also be without veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who is battling a hamstring injury. The Heat's health- or lack thereof- certainly opens the door for the Hawks, whose task of staving off elimination just got a bit easier on the road in Miami.

Butler, who has been one of the league's best players in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, is apparently feeling the effects of the heavy workloads he has taken on, as he has played at least 36 minutes in each of the last three games.

The Heat star has averaged 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest in four games played against Atlanta.

Both he and Lowry's two-way presence will be missed on Tuesday night as the Heat attempt to close out the series. However, Butler's injury– even if it's a minor one- must be monitored very carefully by a franchise that has championship aspirations.