The NBA is finally back! Well, kind of. The NBA preseason officially kicked off yesterday, but the Miami Heat have their first game today against the Atlanta Hawks.
Now, it may not be as entertaining as the regular season, but at least there will be basketball to watch again. It feels like forever since the Miami Heat stepped onto an NBA basketball court.
Before the game begins, though, let’s run through some of the information to know about each team. It may only be preseason, but the Heat aren’t a team that likes to lose, regardless of what time of year it is.
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks preseason game preview, info, and injuries
Info
The game can be streamed on Bally Sports Southeast, as well as on NBA TV. Atlanta will be traveling to Miami for the contest in FTX Arena.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST. The game is part of a nine-game slate where nearly every team will be playing their first game of the preseason.
Injuries
The Miami Heat are lucky, as they are entering the preseason with very few injuries on the report. In fact, there is only one player listed on their injury report going into the game.
Of course, that player is Victor Oladipo. He has been out since April with an injury to his right quadriceps tendon and is expected to return at some point later this season.
Udonis Haslem will also miss the game as he continues to grieve the death of his father. Haslem has missed all of training camp so far, and many members of the organization have spoken out in support of him.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks are dealing with a whole host of injuries. They have five different players listed on their injury report going into tonight’s contest.
Clint Capela (Achilles), De’Andre Hunter (injury management), Kevin Huerter (injury management), and Onyeka Okongqu (shoulder) will all miss the game. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is also listed, but only because he is dealing with visa issues at the moment.
From the looks of it, most of the players listed are sitting out to avoid further injury. However, it will still put the Hawks at a serious disadvantage in tonight’s matchup.
Preview
This will be the first time the Miami Heat get to see Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo on the floor together. Preseason or not, that is a huge moment.
In all likelihood, none of those three guys will get much playing time. However, the time they do spend on the court together is sure to be entertaining.
This game is really just the chance for all the two-way and training camp players to make a name for themselves. The Miami Heat do have one final roster spot to fill, so if someone really impresses, they could earn a contract.
Tonight is also the first chance fans will get to see the work players put in during the offseason. For all we know, some players could come out looking completely different.
As for the Hawks, they will be looking to build on their incredible playoff run last season. However, with the number of players on the injury report tonight, it will likely be the Trae Young show for a few minutes before they go to the bench.
Regardless of the players playing, though, it should be super fun to see the Miami Heat back in action. It has been way too long, but the Miami Heat are back!