Injuries remain ongoing factor for Miami Heat vs. Hornets
MIAMI – The waiting game on the Miami Heat moving closer to whole continues.
Listed out for Wednesday night’s rematch against the Charlotte Hornets are center Bam Adebayo, shooting guard Tyler Herro and power forward Haywood Highsmith, again leaving the Heat without three starters.
Adebayo will miss his fifth consecutive game due to a left-hip contusion initially sustained on Oct. 30.
Adebayo had traveled with the team for Monday night’s victory in Charlotte.
“He wanted to be around the guys. He’s making progress,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I don’t have a timetable for him.”
Herro, who sprained his right ankle in the Nov. 8 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, will miss his 16th consecutive game.
Highsmith, who bruised his lower back in the Nov. 25 road loss to the Brooklyn Nets and then aggravated the injury in the Dec. 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers, will miss his fourth consecutive game.
The Heat also are without guard Dru Smith, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Nov. 22 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and forward Nikola Jovic, who is on G League assignment.
Point guard Kyle Lowry, who played through back spasms in Monday night’s victory over the Hornets in Charlotte, is not on the injury report for Wednesday night, after having been listed as questionable Monday..
Jovic in G League
Jovic, the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick, finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in 38:22 Tuesday in a 110-106 victory for the Sioux Falls Skyforce over the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate.
Jovic closed 6 of 16 from the field, including 0 for 6 on 3-pointers in a game the Skyforce were led by the 35 points of Heat camp prospect Justin Champagnie.
Spoelstra said Jovic also will play Friday for the Skyforce before returning to the Heat ahead of a Skyforce return to next week’s G League Showcase in Orlando.
“This will be a two-game stint, come back, and hopefully go back for the Showcase and we’ll keep it fluid,” Spoelstra said. “But the idea is to get him game time. He’s had two really good weeks since he came back from Sioux Falls, with his development. Obviously, it’s all behind the scenes, but we want to get him game minutes as much as possible.”
Home state
After returning early Tuesday morning from Charlotte, the Heat will not leave Florida until they depart Dec. 27 for the five-game western swing that opens the next night against the Golden State Warriors.
In the interim, the Heat will have six home games and a Dec. 20 road game against the Orlando Magic.
The Heat enter Wednesday night’s start of their four-game homestand at 5-4 this season at Kaseya Center.
“It’ll be huge for us,” forward Caleb Martin said of the home schedule. “I mean, we’ve been harping on trying to be better at home and giving our fans something to be excited about, and we’ve got to take care of business at home.
“We’re looking forward to being there for a little bit and stringing some wins and continuing to take care of momentum.”
Toeing the line
Both the Heat and Hornets viewed free throws as a key difference in the Heat’s ability to escape with Monday night’s 116-114 victory at Spectrum Center, with the Heat outscoring the Hornets 27-17 from the line, attempting 12 more free throws.
“I think that first starts with the attacking on the offensive end,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “Then, obviously, whenever you get up there, you got to step in and make them. But the more you get, the better percentage you have.
“The free throws start with being aggressive.”
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said fouling has been problematic for his team.
“It’s just defend with discipline,” he said. “It’s a huge part of playing defense. It’s not a selective thing. I mean, it’s a habit. You are either disciplined about it or you are not.”
Hornets opponents attempt the seventh-most free throws per game, with Heat opponents averaging 26th in foul shots per game.
“They’re going to attack you every play and try to get you in foul trouble,” Hornets forward Miles Bridges said. “So you’ve just got to be disciplined.”
