Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Lowry listed as questionable with ankle sprain
MIAMI — For the second time this season, the Miami Heat find themselves in a waiting game with Kyle Lowry. For the second time, that has all eyes on his left ankle.
Having missed the Heat’s Oct. 23 road loss to the Indiana Pacers with a sprained left ankle, the veteran point is back on the Heat’s injury list with a similar concern, listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz at FTX Arena.
Lowry headed directly into the locker room at the end of the third quarter of Thursday night’s home loss to the Boston Celtics after teammate Duncan Robinson fell on the ankle while attempting to draw a charge.
That means, at 6-2, the Heat’s lone losses have come with Lowry ailing, albeit he had been uneven Thursday night before his latest departure.
Based on the way Lowry hopped on one leg off the court Thursday, it appeared that Saturday’s game would be out of the question. Instead, the Heat’s 4:30 p.m. Friday injury report offered hope of a return without a missed game.
Lowry missed only that single game in Indiana the last time he turned the ankle, responding two nights later with nine points and eight assists in blowout victory over the visiting Orlando Magic that began a five-game winning streak. That streak was snapped Thursday.
In the immediate wake of Lowry’s latest injury, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday night, “I know him well enough that he’s very similar to Jimmy [Butler]. You ask him how he’s doing, he’s like, ‘fine.’ But we’ll have to see how it responds.”
Friday then brought optimism, on a day Heat activity was limited
to video review.
The Heat already are playing in the absence of rotation forward Max Strus, who sprained his left knee in last Saturday’s road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Strus said he expects to miss at least two weeks.
Also out for the Heat the past two games had been third-year forward KZ Okpala, due to a sprained right ankle. Okpala has not been in the rotation this season. He is listed as questionable for Saturday.
Still recovering from May quadriceps surgery is Victor Oladipo, who remains out. Spoelstra said Thursday there is no new update on the veteran guard.
The previous time Lowry was inactive, Spoelstra started third-year guard Gabe Vincent, with Vincent closing with two points and three assists in 25 minutes in the overtime loss to the Pacers. Since that game, Vincent was held out once and has played 10 total minutes of mop-up duty in the five other games.
The other true point guard on the Heat roster, undrafted rookie Marcus Garrett, is with the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, but is expected to rejoin the Heat during next week’s five-game western swing.
The Jazz could be without their leading man, with guard Donovan Mitchell held out of Thursday’s 116-98 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks due to a sprained right ankle.
He is listed as questionable for Saturday.
Michell was injured during the waning seconds of the Jazz’s Tuesday victory over the Sacramento Kings.
“We’re conservative and diligent about those types of things,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said of Mitchell’s injury. “I think Donovan is in a good place mentally, and we will make sure that he’s in a good place physically and he’ll be back.”
The Jazz started Joel Ingles in place of Mitchell on Thursday, with the outside-shooting wing closing with 19 points.
The rest of Utah’s injury report: Royce O’Neale (right ankle sprain), questionable; Rudy Gay (right heel injury recovery), out; Udoka Azubuike (G League), out.