Dragic, Herro out against Nuggets
The Miami Heat were without Goran Dragic due to injury for the first time this season, with the veteran point guard out for Wednesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets at AmericanAirlines Arena due to a strained left groin.
The Heat also remained without guard Tyler Herro for a seventh consecutive game due to neck spams.
The only games previously missed this season by Dragic were a pair two weeks ago on the road
against the Philadelphia 76ers, when he was one of six Heat players sidelined due to COVID19 contact tracing.
“Our world is minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Wednesday’s game of Dragic’s status going forward. “And that’s where Goran is right now, as well.”
The Heat had Avery Bradley
back in their mix Wednesday after he missed the previous eight games following a COVID19 positive test.
“We’ll be getting there, day by day, step by step,” Spoelstra said of Bradley being back in the mix. “In the meantime, can our game repeat? Can we find consistency to it? It’s not about moral victories right now. But we are starting to see some progress in certain areas.”
The expectation is that guard Jimmy Butler, who missed his ninth consecutive game due to
similar pandemic protocols, will return either for Thursday’s game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers or Saturday’s home game against the Sacramento Kings.
In addition to Butler, the Heat also remained without Moe Harkless, Meyers Leonard and Chris Silva.
Harkless missed Monday’s loss at Barclays Center due to a thigh bruise sustained in the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Leonard has now missed the past nine games due to a shoulder strain sustained in the Jan. 9 victory over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Silva missed his fourth consecutive game with a strained left hip flexor.
In addition, guard Gabe Vincent was cleared to play Wednesday night, after previously being listed as questionable due to a sprained right ankle.
Spoelstra said back home and many familiar heartening.
“I mean that brings everybody’s spirits up,” Spoelstra said. “But regardless, whoever’s available, we’ve put ourselves in a position to be able to have opportunities to win. Now it’s just getting over the hump. You just have to find a way to elevate each other’s game to get those wins.”
The Heat did not practice Tuesday after returning from their 1-3 trip, which included two losses to the Nets and one to the Toronto Raptors, and then went without a game-morning shootaround on Wednesday, with NBA coronavirus testing making such sessions difficult just being seeing so faces was to schedule.
For Thursday night, the Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, due to NBA’s pandemic protocols, with Clippers guard Patrick Beverley sidelined with a knee injury.
The Heat’s next scheduled practice is expected to be Sunday.
The NBA announced Wednesday that of the 492 players tested for COVID-19 since Jan. 20, one new player returned a confirmed positive test.
Per the NBA, “Anyone who has returned a confirmed positive test, or has been identified as having been in close contact to an infected person, is isolated or quarantined until they are cleared under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association in accordance with CDC guidance.”