As the Miami Heat look to recover from the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies which ended in heartbreaking fashion due to a Ja Morant game-winner, the team will have injuries to deal with heading into their next contest on Saturday. While the Heat feel its getting tougher after another highly competitive game, another one comes up against the Milwaukee Bucks where such stars as Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins have their status in question.
Herro is coming off a productive stretch during the six-game winning streak and the loss on Thursday where he's averaging 28.9 points per game, but is coming into the contest questionable with a “right thigh contusion.” Plus, Wiggins will miss the upcoming outing once again with a hamstring issue along with Kevin Love who is dealing with “personal reasons” according to the team.
INJURY UPDATE: Andrew Wiggins (hamstring) and Kevin Love (personal reasons) have both been ruled out of tomorrow night’s game vs the Bucks,” the team's official X, formerly Twitter, account wrote. “Tyler Herro (right thigh contusion) is listed as questionable.”
Haywood Highsmith is also questionable with left Achilles soreness and Duncan Robinson is available with “Left Sacroiliac Joint; Dysfunction.”
Looking at Herro, he finished with 35 points in the loss to Memphis where he scored 19 in the third period leading to a back-and-forth affair between the two teams. He's made enormous strides this season on the court leading to his first All-Star appearance amid his best season yet, especially health-wise as he's played in a career-high 74 games so far this season.
Andrew Wiggins' availability with the Heat has been a concern
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Looking at the former Golden State Warrior, the Heat newcomer in Andrew Wiggins was looking for a fresh start with the team and while he's performed well on the court, the availability has been a concern. Not only will Wiggins miss his fifth straight game with the hamstring injury, but his 12th game total since the trade as he's had issues with a sprained ankle, a lower left contusion, and even missed a game with a stomach illness.
Still, head coach Erik Spoelstra said he's seen Miami's “competitive edge” become “stronger,” being more impressed that it's happening without Wiggins.
“It’s playoff basketball,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints. “We feel fully comfortable in these kind of games. Our guys are enjoying this. They feel fully alive from the competition. The locker room is very disappointed right now, but we gave ourselves enough opportunities to win, you have to make some plays. But this competitive edge, it's getting stronger.”
“There's a collective will that I like seeing out of this group, and we're getting more comfortable,” Spoelstra continued. “With different guys being able to make plays in the fourth quarter. This is without Wiggs [Wiggins].”
Miami has five games left in the season as the team is 35-42 which puts them ninth in the Eastern Conference before the game against the Bucks on Saturday.
