Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Lowry, Adebayo sit out against Pelicans
MIAMI — The Miami Heat on Wednesday night found themselves weighing both rest and recovery, with center Bam Adebayo and point guard Kyle Lowry held out against the New Orleans Pelicans at FTX Arena.
The Heat remained without Adebayo for a second consecutive game, as the team attempts to reduce the swelling in the center’s left knee.
Adebayo initially bruised his knee in the Oct. 29 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets, sitting out a road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies the next night. Adebayo also sat out Monday night’s road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stressed the benefit of the time off for Adebayo.
“Really beneficial,” Spoelstra said “What he’s needed, more than anything, is just rest and treatment, to get the swelling down and calm it down.
“And when he resumes again, he’ll be padded. You just hope when he collides with people it will be a collision on that pad.”
Lowry was given the night off for rest amid a particularly hectic portion of the team’s schedule, with Wednesday night opening a home back-to-back set that concludes Thursday against the Washington Wizards. Then Heat then depart Friday for a nine-day, four-game trip that has them on the road through Thanksgiving.
The only previous game Lowry had missed was the Oct. 23 road overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers, due to a sprained left ankle.
“The schedule is pretty intense,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll manage the schedule throughout the year when we feels it’s necessary. We’re not predetermining things. But there are certain parts of the schedule that are a little more intense.”
Also still out for the Heat was forward Markieff Morris, who missed his fifth consecutive game due to whiplash sustained in his Nov. 8 dustup with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Jokic received a one-game suspension for that incident.
In addition, the Heat remain without guard Victor Oladipo, who is recovering from May quadriceps surgery.
The Heat, however, did have Jimmy Butler back in the lineup, after he had missed the previous three games with a sprained right ankle.
Butler twisted his ankle during the first quarter of last week’s road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, missing a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and victories over the Utah Jazz and Thunder to end that trip.
Veteran center Dewayne Dedmon (groin) and rookie guard Marcus Garrett (wrist), who both had been listed as questionable earlier in the day, were available.
Charging ahead
The Heat are stepping forward this season, even if those steps prove to be painful.
Going into Wednesday night’s game, the Heat led the NBA in charges drawn per game, at 1.64, as well as in overall charges drawn, at 23.
Next closest on those leader boards, were the Brooklyn Nets, at 1.64 per game, and 16 total.
Brooklyn’s total largely is built off Blake Griffin’s league-leading 11 charges drawn. The Heat, by contrast, have been taking the fall as a team, with Lowry and Max Strus tied for ninth in the league, with five charges drawn, and P.J. Tucker 15th in the NBA, at four.
Last season, over a schedule shortened to 72 games from the standard 82 being played this season, Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 13 charges drawn, followed by 12 from Gabe Vincent and eight by Kelly Olynyk, who was traded at midseason.
The Heat went into Wednesday night with those 23 charges taken compared to eight drawn by the opposition. Robinson went into Wednesday night having drawn just a single charge.
The Zion watch
As has been the case all season, the Pelicans went into Wednesday night’s game without 2019 No. 1 draft pick Zion Williamson.
They did, however, go in with added hope. The Pelicans on Tuesday issued a statement that read:
“Zion Williamson has been cleared to participate in contact drills, beginning with 1-on-1 workouts and progressively working towards full team workouts.
“Williamson, who underwent imaging on his fractured right foot on Thursday (Nov. 11), was medically cleared by Dr. Richard Ferkel of Southern California Orthopedic Institute and Dr. Scott Montgomery of Ochsner Health. Williamson will undergo further medical imaging on November 24, which will determine his availability for full team workouts. Additional updates will be provided on his anticipated return to play timetable accordingly.”
The second of the Heat’s two regular-season games against the Pelicans is Feb. 10 in New Orleans, the day of the 2022 NBA trading deadline. That game will come at the end of a five-game, 11-day trip for the Heat.