Herro, Love not traveling on Heat road trip
The foot injury that has sidelined Tyler Herro for nine games appears likely to sideline him at least four more.
Herro did not travel with the team to Detroit, putting his availability for the next four games very much in question unless he rejoins the Heat at some point during the trip.
The Heat has offered no timetable for Herro.
Along with the right foot medial tendinitis that’s currently keeping Herro sidelined, he also has dealt with a hyperextended left knee during this stretch of absences from which he has since recovered.
When asked before Wednesday’s home loss to the Nuggets whether Herro is making progress in his recovery, coach Erik Spoelstra did not offer many details.
“He’s making progress,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t have any more for you.
But he’s doing everything he needs to do.”
Meanwhile, backup center Kevin Love also did not accompany the team on the trip that begins with back-to-back matchups against the Pistons on Friday (7 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) and Sunday.
Love has missed the past seven games with a right heel bruise.
Bam Adebayo is dealing with a lower back contusion but is probable.
Caleb Martin has a left thumb sprain but is available for the Pistons game.
Jamal Cain and
Alondes Williams remain on G-League assignment.
TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE
The result was a loss, but one could argue Heat All-Star center Adebayo turned in an impressive defensive effort against the Nuggets’ two-time MVP center Nikola Jokic on Wednesday.
Adebayo, who is known as one of the NBA’s top defenders, helped limit Jokic to just 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from the foul line and six assists in 38 minutes. It marked the fewest points and fewest field-goal attempts Jokic has recorded in game since totaling four points on three field-goal attempts in a win over the Pistons on Jan. 7.
With Adebayo making things tough for Jokic in the post and also effectively defending most of the Nuggets’ pick-androlls, Jokic was able to generate only one shot from within the restricted area for himself. Jokic averages 5.9 such shots per game this season.
“Nobody will go toe-totoe, minute-for-minute against Jokic other than
Bam,” Spoelstra said following Wednesday’s loss. “Bam signs up for that and he’ll put himself out there and be vulnerable to the competition. That’s the competitor of all competitors. That just sets the tone. But it is difficult.
“But that’s why Bam is Bam. That’s why I always say year after year, he should be in the consideration for Defensive Player of the Year because he can do things and will put himself out there and try to do things that the majority of the league won’t because it’s easier just to not do it.”
While Jokic found success against Adebayo to average 30.2 points per game on 58.3 percent shooting from the field in last season’s NBA Finals,
Jokic has been limited to just 15 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting from the field in two games against the Heat this regular season. But Denver still found a way to win both matchups against Miami this regular season.
“He’s a terrific defender,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Wednesday of Adebayo. “Athletic, physical, smart, does a really good job of not getting screened. One of the best ways to stop a great player is not let him get the ball, and I think Bam’s post defense is just outstanding.”
WHERE WERE THE THREES?
On its way to scoring just 88 points in Wednesday’s
home loss to the Nuggets, the Heat shot just 5 of 21 (23.8 percent) from three-point range in the game.
The Heat set a new season-low with those five three-point makes and matched a season-low with those 21 three-point attempts against a Nuggets team that is among the NBA’s best at limiting three-point opportunities. The Nuggets are allowing 31.2 three-point attempts per game this season, which is the second-fewest in the NBA.
“That is what they do,” Spoelstra said. “To me, it felt like we passed up some open threes. I don’t think it would have been 43 attempts. But certainly, it should have been 10, 12 more. We passed up open ones and then drove it in to their size. If you pass up some open ones, you’re not going to get a better one. And there were definitely probably a half dozen of those where we end up getting a worse shot by passing up one.
“I said that when we played them in Denver, they’re one of the more underrated defensive teams. Since the All-Star break, they’ve kind of turned it on on that side of the floor. So we couldn’t get into our normal rhythm. But we certainly needed to take a few more.”
Anthony Chiang: 305-376-4991, @Anthony_Chiang
For summaries, complete standings and results go to the eEdition at MiamiHerald.com.
Atlantic
x-Boston New York Philadelphia Brooklyn Toronto Southeast
Orlando Miami Atlanta Charlotte Washington Central
Cleveland Milwaukee Indiana Chicago Detroit
Southwest
New Orleans Dallas Houston Memphis San Antonio Northwest
Denver Oklahoma City Minnesota Utah
Portland Pacific
46 45 45 28 19 W
20 20 21 37 46
L
.697 .692 .682 .431 .292
Pct
L.A. Clippers 41 Sacramento 38 Phoenix 38 L.A. Lakers 36 Golden State 34
x-clinched playoff spot
FRIDAY Miami at Detroit, 7 Phoenix at Charlotte, 7 Orlando at Toronto, 7:30 L.A. Clippers at New Orleans, 8 Denver at San Antonio, 8:30 Atlanta at Utah, 9:30
THURSDAY Phoenix at Boston L.A. Clippers at Chicago Washington at Houston Philadelphia at Milwaukee
Dallas at Oklahoma City
New York at Portland
WEDNESDAY Denver 100, Miami 88 Detroit 113, Toronto 104 Orlando 114, Brooklyn 106 Chicago 132, Indiana 129 (OT) Charlotte 110, Memphis 98 Cleveland 116, New Orleans 95 Dallas 109, Golden State 99 Portland 106, Atlanta 102 Sacramento 120, L.A. Lakers 107
23 27 27 31 31
.641 .585 .585 .537 .523 —
1 171⁄2 261⁄2 GB
— 3 31⁄ 61⁄2 71⁄2