Wade Sits Vs. Celtics, Will Be Evaluated Monday

Before Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics, Heat guard Dwyane Wade sat out with what is described as bruised knee. It’s the eighth time Wade has been forced to the bench due to an injury.

Before the game, Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra spoke with reporters:

"“We just figured it would be best to give him some extra rest. We’ll evaluate and see how he feels tomorrow.”"

While it is always concerning for Heat fans whenever Wade is forced out of the lineup, it appears to be more of a precaution, as the Heat had played three games in four nights. It also helps that they happened to be playing a Celtics team that just traded former All-Star Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks on Friday.

Mario Chalmers was inserted into the starting lineup, alongside fellow point guard Norris Cole. The Heat used both on the court together for extended time, then let one run the point while the other sat. They would combine for 26 points and 14 assists.

Forward Luol Deng picked up the scoring slack, scoring a game high 23 points.

Sliding into the rotation were James Ennis and Danny Granger. Both played what could be described as their best games of the season, as Ennis scored 16 points – his career high in the NBA – in 26 minutes. Granger scored 7 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in his 17 minutes of action. Bonus for the Heat was that he didn’t shatter into a million tiny pieces at any point, so he should be a go for Tuesday.

The Heat had called up rookie Andre Dawkins from the D-League early Sunday, as he got on a plane from Dallas at 6am to get to Miami. Saturday, Dawkins scored 42 points for the Heat’s D-League team, the Sioux Falls Sky Force, against the Texas Legends, including 12 three-pointers. My sources can confirm that the D-League is not anyway related to pop-a-shot basketball that you find at the local fair, so this is an impressive performance. However, he didn’t see any game action against the Celtics.

Heat center Chris Bosh missed his fifth consecutive game with a strained calf. While he hopes to play on Christmas, he’s not going to rush back. Speaking with reporters before the game, Bosh said:

"“I hope so,” Bosh said of making it back in time, “but I’ve been saying that before and they were like, ‘OK, take it easy. Just work today.’ Health is the priority. I’m keeping the bigger picture, even though it’s getting smaller. I’m keeping a big picture in mind.”"

Wade will be re-evaluated Monday, but with Tuesday’s game being against the lower than lowly Philadelphia 76ers, one would think Wade would get an additional day of rest. The Heat will play again on Christmas Day vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, which might be something of a big game, so additional rest can’t be a bad thing for Wade.