Heading to the Miami Heat's Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jimmy Butler was expected to return from his two-game absence and suit up. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, with the superstar forward ending up staying sidelined as a result of his calf injury.

The same injury has kept Butler from playing in their recent games against the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks, but he was trending in the right direction to get the Heat to believe that he would be available for Christmas. The team even upgraded him to questionable, further fueling talks about his quick return to the lineup.

But surprisingly, Butler was ruled out. And now, we know why. According to the latest reports, an illness affected Butler's rehab, thereby pushing back his return as well.

“The hope was that Jimmy Butler would return from his calf injury tonight, but an illness set his rehab back a bit. The expectation is Butler will return during the Heat's West Coast trip that begins later this week,” Anthony Chiang of Miami Herald reported.

It's certainly an unfortunate turn of events, not only for the Heat but also for the fans who were hoping to see a battle of stars between Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid. For those not in the know, Embiid has also been ruled out due to his bothersome ankle injury.

With that said, both teams will have to rely on their second stars to make it a really competitive and exciting game. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris are expected to lead the way for the Sixers, while Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro–like what they've been doing recently–are projected to carry the Heat.