The Miami Heat travel north to play the Brooklyn Nets, following a gruesome leg injury to star Caris LeVert.
It’s been a rough week for the Miami Heat.
After dropping the first three Vice-themed games of the season, the Heat also missed out on landing potential superstar Jimmy Butler.
And now, the team looks to make the best of a bad situation against the Brooklyn Nets.
The entire NBA held its collective breath when Nets forward Caris LeVert went careening to the floor against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Attempting to block a layup attempt just before halftime, LeVert lost his balance and suffered a very not-safe-for-work right foot dislocation.
The good news is that LeVert is expected to make a full recovery this season. Diagnosed as a “subtalar dislocation” according to the Nets’ official statement, LeVert’s injury entails only “moderate ligament damage.”
Unfortunately, the reality of his injury hangs over the league like a rain cloud. The outpouring of support from all corners of the NBA universe, including Miami’s Dwyane Wade, is a very real reminder that no one is exempt from career and potentially life changing events.
I HATE injuries! Prayers up for Caris LeVert!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 13, 2018
Now, Miami has to enter the Nets’ domain after the league was shaken by an injury that is becoming a regular occurrence in the NBA. Including Gordon Hayward and Isaiah Canaan before him, LeVert’s marks the third such viscerally impactful injury since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Having to fend off a four-game losing streak was hard enough, but the added difficulty of focusing and competing against the Nets after LeVert’s injury, will make tonight’s matchup an uphill battle for Miami.
Bounce Back
If the 2017-18 Boston Celtics are any indication, the loss of LeVert might prove a powerful motivator for the Nets.
After dropping the first two games after losing Hayward last year, the Celtics rattled off 16 straight wins before being beaten, coincidentally, by Miami.
The Nets aren’t as good a team as Boston on paper. But if Miami underestimates them—as the Heat are prone to do—this game will be another notch in the loss column.
Miami’s biggest threat sports an equally large afro; center Jarrett Allen has continued to up his game in his sophomore season. His 1.9 blocks per game puts him in the NBA’s top-10, while his 60 percent shooting from the floor is in similar contention, among players taking at least seven shots each night.
Allen knows how to set good screens and benefit from his hard work. Like the Embiid matchup on Monday, Hassan Whiteside will have to prioritize preventing careless fouls, as the two battle for position in the post.
Otherwise, Miami’s defenses will be tested by Brooklyn sniper Joe Harris.
Harris, in his third year with the Nets, leads the league in 3-point percentage among those who have attempted at least 50 triples.
The back court tandem of Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell also pose threats on the perimeter, shooting 39 and 40 percent from 3, respectively.
The start of a two-game road trip before returning to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Miami has to finds its footing before the team loses all forward momentum.