Ugly win puts Suns in control of West finals

Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler will miss his team’s Christmas night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler is dealing with a calf strain that has already cost him the last two games for the Miami Heat.

The Christmas night game will also be without Joel Embiid. The reigning MVP is recovering from a sprained ankle suffered on Friday against the Toronto Raptors.

Dallas Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II was cleared of having a serious neck injury, after leaving Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals early. Lively’s status for Game 4 of the series on Tuesday is unclear at this point.

Lively was injured during a collision with Karl-Anthony Towns in the first half of Game 3. Towns’ knee hit Lively in the back of the head, after the rookie center had fallen to the floor.

Lively has been a key member of the Mavericks rotation all season. In 15 playoff games, the Duke product has averaged 8.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game off the Dallas bench.

The Mavericks took a 3-0 series lead over the Timberwolves on Sunday. Dallas has a chance to close out the series at home on Tuesday.