Road trip starts, but Dragic stays home
Team hopes he can rejoin it at later point
The Miami Heat took flight Wednesday without point guard Goran Dragic for their longest trip in over a decade.
The Heat have listed Dragic as out with a sprained left ankle for Thursday night’s game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center, the start of a seven-game trip that continues through Feb. 22.
The Heat said none of the players listed as out made Thursday’s trip to Houston. Beyond Dragic, that group includes Avery Bradley, Meyers Leonard and Chris Silva.
The one ray of hope on the Heat’s Wednesday injury report was the listing of forward Moe Harkless as questionable. Harkless has missed the past nine games with a bruised left thigh, an injury suffered in the Jan. 23 road loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Dragic has missed the past two games with a sprained left ankle, an injury sustained in Friday’s home victory over the Washington Wizards.
Of the Heat players listed as out, Dragic stands as the most likely to possibly rejoin the Heat on the trip.
Leonard is out for the season following shoulder surgery, having been sidelined since a cameo appearance in the Heat’s Jan. 9 victory in Washington.
Bradley suffered a significant calf strain in the Feb. 3 home victory over the Wizards and was listed as out for three to four weeks.
Silva has missed the past 11 games with a strained left hip flexor.
By departing without four players, the Heat will have just 11 available from their standard roster, including Harkless, as well as two-way players Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. Vincent is probable for Thursday, listed with a sore right knee.
Kendrick Nunn has replaced Dragic in the starting lineup the past two games, allowing Tyler Herro to continue as a reserve.
Herro said he is comfortable with the move, as the Heat attempt to overcome their losing record.
“I played a whole year off the bench last year,” he said. “When you’re losing, at this point it’s just doing whatever works for the team. I hate losing. Everyone in this organization hates losing.
“The move to the bench wasn’t hard for me. I’ll do whatever this team needs me to do to win.”
A return by Harkless would give the Heat another option in their limited frontcourt.
“We’re just slowly getting everyone back,” Herro said. “We still don’t have everyone. We’re just continuing to build each day. All we can do is continue to build and get ready for the playoffs. That’s when winning really matters.”
The Heat have no players currently in pandemic protocols. Per the NBA on Wednesday: “Of the 470 players tested for COVID-19 since Feb. 3, one new player has returned a confirmed positive test.
“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.”