Miami Heat release murky injury report for showdown vs. New York Knicks

The Miami Heat have shared several key health updates ahead of their In-Season Tournament matchup with the New York Knicks on Friday night.

After injuring his knee by slipping on the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, guard Dru Smith has been ruled out of the Friday contest.

Big man Bam Adebayo missed the game in Cleveland due to a bruised left hip, and he’s listed as questionable for the contest against the Knicks. Similarly, sharpshooter Duncan Robinson is listed as questionable because of a right thumb sprain.

Kevin Love has rejoined the team after missing the game against the Cavs for personal reasons. The team has also assigned Orlando Robinson to the G League and recalled Cole Swider and Jamal Cain.

It’s likely safe to say that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is upset that Smith has been ruled out for the game, as he expressed frustration at the court in Cleveland for causing the injury.

“It’s a dangerous floor,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t know the history of injuries here, but we’ve had a couple near scares in previous years when guys are closing out in that corner. Thankfully, nobody’s been injured before, but it’s an accident waiting to happen. You close out and all of a sudden you’re going off a cliff. It’s just so dangerous. As soon as he stayed down, we all knew that’s probably what happened.”

The injury occurred when Smith jumped to contest a corner 3-point attempt by Max Strus in the second quarter. When Smith landed, his foot slipped off of the playing surface. The court is slightly elevated, and as a result, there is a ledge outside of the playing area.

Hopefully, it’s not something that will keep Smith sidelined for an extended amount of time, as he has done a nice job of providing a spark off of the bench for Miami so far this season.

When discussing Adebayo’s injury after the game against the Cavaliers, Spoelstra said that the issue isn’t expected to linger.

“It’s not a lingering thing,” Spoelstra said. “He’s padded. He just took a hard fall in the Chicago game (Monday night) in the exact same spot that he did earlier in the season when he had to miss a game.”

The final statuses for Adebayo and Robinson should be known closer to tip time on Friday night. Heading into the contest, the Heat are 2-0 in In-Season Tournament games, while the Knicks are 1-1. Both teams have two games remaining in group play.