For Monday night’s game against the Kings in Sacramento, the Miami Heat will be without two starters but could get a key player back from injury.
UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier have both been ruled out for Monday night's game. That leaves the Heat with only 10 available players: Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kevin Love, Delon Wright and Haywood Highsmith, along with two-way contract players Alondes Williams, Jamal Cain and Cole Swider. Orlando Robinson (back spasms) is questionable.
Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic will each serve a one-game suspension following Friday night’s fight in New Orleans. Thomas Bryant, who is out of the rotation, will be suspended for three games for his role in the altercation.
Losing Butler for a game is a big loss for a Heat team that has won seven of their last nine games entering Monday night’s road game. The good news is that the Heat are 11-7 in games without their star player this season.
With Terry Rozier sidelined with a knee sprain, Jovic started Friday night’s game as coach Erik Spoelstra went with a starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Butler, Jovic and Bam Adebayo.
Now Spoelstra will have to go with a different starting lineup for the third-straight game.
Rozier, who has missed the last three games with a knee sprain, has been upgraded to questionable.
After hyperextending his left knee late in Friday’s win, Herro is also considered questionable.
Josh Richardson remains out as he recovers from a dislocated right shoulder but was seen at practice Sunday without a sling.
Miami Heat full injury report for Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings:
- Thomas Bryant, out, league suspension
- Jimmy Butler, out, league suspension
- Tyler Herro, out*, left knee hyper-extension (downgraded from questionable)
- Nikola Jovic, out, league suspension
- Josh Richardson, out, dislocated right shoulder
- Duncan Robinson, available, left shoulder sprain
- Orlando Robinson, questionable, back spasms
- Terry Rozier, out*, right knee sprain (downgraded from questionable)
- Dru Smith, out, right knee surgery
Who will start for the Heat?
Because the Heat won’t know who is playing until closer to game time, it’s difficult to predict who Spoelstra will go with in his starting lineup.
Here’s who we know is available: Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kevin Love, Delon Wright and Haywood Highsmith, along with two-way contract players Alondes Williams, Jamal Cain and Cole Swider.
After not getting into the game on Friday, Delon Wright on Monday figures to see his first minutes since joining the Heat on a buyout during the All-Star break. He may even start depending on the availability of Rozier and Herro.
What about the Kings?
After beating the Clippers on Sunday, the Kings will play the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s unclear if anyone will take the night off for rest, but the Kings haven’t typically operated that way since Mike Brown took over as coach last season.
The Heat will need to be prepared to face the two-man game of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Adebayo will have to outplay Sabonis for the Heat to have a chance and the Heat will need to find someone to guard Fox on the perimeter, whether that’s Wright, Highsmith or Martin.