Adebayo, Dragic leave with injuries as Heat routed in Game 1
The Miami Heat were not only badly beaten. They were beaten up.
Bam Adebayo (left shoulder strain) and Goran Dragic (left foot) departed with injuries and Jimmy Butler played through one in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. A series that started so impressively for the Heat could be a short one if their three best players are out or limited.
They were blown out 116-98 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, but their concerns go far beyond how can they compete.
The bigger question might be: Who can?
Dragic didn’t play in the second half because of his injury. It was unclear how or when the veteran guard was hurt.
Just before halftime, Butler turned his left ankle on a drive to the basket. He was able to stay on the floor after a timeout for the final seconds, but the injury still appeared to be bothering him in the second half. The star swingman appeared to be hobbling when he landed after scoring while being fouled 13 seconds into the third quarter.
That cut the Lakers’ lead to 14 points. Los Angeles blew it open again soon after, though the score was hardly Miami’s only concern.
Adebayo’s shoulder crashed hard into Dwight Howard as he drove into the lane with 7:03 left in the third quarter. Adebayo, their All-defensive team center, is already wearing a sleeve on his left arm and was clearly hurting during the Eastern Conference finals against Boston.
He overcame that to finish with 32 points and 14 rebounds in the Heat’s victory in Game 6 to end that series, but he couldn’t keep going Wednesday. He appeared to bang the arm again on a rebound attempt shortly after Howard fouled him and soon left the floor for treatment.