Rozier (stiff neck) questionable for tonight
ATLANTA
After being added to the injury report just hours before the start of Sunday’s game, starting guard
Terry Rozier played in the damaging 117-115 loss at Indiana despite neck stiffness.
But according to Rozier, maybe he shouldn’t have.
“I mean, I never like to make excuses, but I shouldn’t have went today,” Rozier said afterward. “I shouldn’t have played. I felt like I hurt the team by trying to be a warrior and get out there, and I feel l hurt myself.”
Rozier is listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup at Atlanta.
He is the only Heat player whose availability for Tuesday appears to be in serious question. Though Duncan Robinson hasn’t looked like himself since returning from a back injury, he’s listed as probable.
Also listed as probable:
Bam Adebayo (left hand sprain), Nikola Jovic (right ankle sprain), Kevin
Love (left ankle sprain) and Orlando Robinson
(lower back spasms).
Tyler Herro, who has played in two games since returning from a foot injury, is listed as available.
The stiff neck clearly limited Rozier, who recorded just four points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field and 0-of-1 shooting from three-point range in 22 minutes Sunday. Rozier had scored double-digit points in 25 straight appearances before this performance.
“We just appreciate him giving whatever it is, whatever percentage,” coach Erik Spoelstra
said. “He’s not going to make an excuse for it, so I won’t for him either.”
Rozier didn’t play his full allotment of minutes. After playing 14:44 in the first half and the first 7:01 of the second half, Rozier spent the rest of the game on the bench.
Instead, Spoelstra played Herro for the entire fourth quarter. He had 14 fourth-quarter points to lead a Heat rally that fell just short.
Rozier, 30, has averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 assists in 31 appearances following his trade to Miami in late January.
He believes the neck stiffness might be a product of “the traveling and the sleeping.”
The Hawks ruled out Saddiq Bey (left knee torn ACL), AJ Griffin (right ankle sprain), Seth
Lundy (left ankle soreness), Onyeka Okongwu (left big toe sprain) and Trae Young (torn finger ligament).
OFFICIATING ERRORS
The Last Two Minute report issued Monday by the NBA cited two officiating mistakes in the final two minutes of Sunday’s game. Both errors hurt the Heat.
With the Heat trailing by five points, the NBA ruled that Herro should have gone to the foul line for three throws because “[T.J.] McConnell (IND) makes contact with the part of Herro’s (MIA) hand that is not on the ball during his release and affects his jump shot attempt.” Instead, no foul was called and the Pacers grabbed the defensive rebound after Herro missed the three-pointer.
The NBA also ruled that a foul shouldn’t have been called on Adebayo when the Heat trapped Pacers center Myles Turner and appeared to force a turnover with 17.1 seconds to play. But instead of the Heat coming away with a much-needed steal, a foul was called on Adebayo and Turner made both free throws to extend the Pacers’ lead from two to four points.
As for the lane violation called on the Heat with
3.6 seconds left that ended Miami’s hopes of a comeback, the NBA confirmed that was the correct call.
Atlantic
y-Boston New York Philadelphia Brooklyn Toronto Southeast
Orlando Miami p-Atlanta Charlotte Washington Central
x-Milwaukee Cleveland Indiana p-Chicago Detroit
Southwest
Dallas
New Orleans Houston Memphis San Antonio Northwest
x-Minnesota x-Denver x-Oklahoma City Utah
Portland
Pacific
54 54 53 29 21 W
24 24 25 49 57
L
.692 .692 .679 .372 .269
Pct
— — 1 25 33 GB
L.A. Clippers 50 28 .641 Phoenix 46 32 .590 Sacramento 45 33 .577 L.A. Lakers 45 34 .570 Golden State 43 35 .551 p-clinched play-in spot; x-clinched playoff spot; y-clinched division
TUESDAY Miami at Atlanta, 7:30
Dallas at Charlotte, 7 Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 Indiana at Toronto, 7 Boston at Milwaukee, 7:30 New York at Chicago, 8 Orlando at Houston, 8 San Antonio at Memphis, 8 Washington at Minnesota, 8 Sacramento at Oklahoma City, 8 Denver at Utah, 9 Golden State at L.A. Lakers, 10 L.A. Clippers at Phoenix, 10 New Orleans at Portland, 10
MONDAY
No games scheduled
SUNDAY Indiana 117, Miami 115
Dallas 147, Houston 136 (OT) L.A. Clippers 120, Cleveland 118 Boston 124, Portland 107 Oklahoma City 121, Charlotte 118 Orlando 113, Chicago 98 Toronto 130, Washington 122 New Orleans 113, Phoenix 105 New York 122, Milwaukee 109 Philadelphia 133, San Antonio 126 (OT) Sacramento 107, Brooklyn 77
Golden State 118, Utah 110
Minnesota 127, L.A. Lakers 117
— 4 5 51⁄2 7