Day off after clinching
ATLANTA — The day after clinching turned into a day off for Goran Dragic, James Johnson and Dwyane Wade for the Miami Heat’s Wednesday night game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.
All three said the expectation is to return Friday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden at the conclusion of this two-game trip.
Coach Erik Spoelstra cited ankle issues for Dragic and Johnson, a wrist ailment for Wade.
“All of these things I think we’ll be able to just shore up in the next couple of days,” Spoelstra said.
Wade was injured late in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets at AmericanAirlines Arena, with Dragic having dealt with a variety of ailments for weeks.
Spoelstra said Johnson also has been battling his ankle issue for a while.
The Heat clinched a playoff spot with Tuesday’s home victory over the Hawks.
“We’ve made a pretty hard push to get that checkmark,” Spoelstra said. “We’re not exhaling at all, but these guys have been pushing through quite a bit these last few weeks and the next two days, we would just like to see them get a bunch of rest and treatment and then we’ll reevaluate on Friday.”
Spoelstra said being assured of a postseason berth was a factor, but not the sole factor.
“That’s part of it,” he said. “Goran’s been dealing with a few issues, mainly his ankle for the last couple of weeks. Dwyane’s happened the game before that. But each one of these injuries, whenever they happen … and the next day is go time.
“These guys, they understood what was at stake. So everybody was just green-lighting and going forward, regardless of how they felt. Right now, we think it’s smart just to take a day, get treatment and reevaluate.”
With the playoffs opening the weekend of April 14-15, Spoelstra was asked if he would want to get his full roster back in game action before the end of the regular season, which concludes for the Heat with home games on Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder and next Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.
“Yeah, we’ll balance a little bit of both,” he said. “Right now, we’re not shutting everybody down. That’s not the thought of this, at all. It’s we want to clear these things up and it might be cleared up so all of ’em can go on Friday. But we’ll see how the next two days go.”
Dragic said his primary concern is ongoing knee discomfort.
“It’s the knee and the ankle,” he said, in his case right knee and right ankle. “I’ve been struggling with the knee for three weeks. The ankle I twisted last game when I fell. But the knee has been kind of bothering me for a while. It’s nothing serious. It’s just tendinitis.”
Dragic said he would have continued to play if a berth was at stake.
“I think so,” he said. “In the playoffs, every player we want them to be healthy so we can compete at the highest level.”
Wade said he is dealing wrist and right elbow pain.
“A lot of guys are getting banged up lately,” he said. “Obviously battling for this stretch and coming off a tough game [Tuesday] night and having a back-to-back, it’s not ideal. A couple of guys are banged up, so get an opportunity to hopefully rest up a little bit and get ready for Friday.”
Johnson said he is optimistic about his left ankle.
“It’s just been swelling up a little bit,” he said. “Just been playing through it — if you can, you must — that mentality. Just been playing through it and today it hurts. I got treatment on it and I’ll get ready for New York.
“We want to make noise in the playoffs. We’re definitely not satisfied with where we’re at. We’re still playing to win.” with
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