Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kyle Lowry Will Start Game 3 Against Sixers

May 6th, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

5:33pm: Lowry is active and will start tonight, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

5:00pm: Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, including Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, that Kyle Lowry is nearing a return for Friday’s Game 3 against the Sixers.

“The intention is for him to warm up and play,” Spoelstra said.

The 36-year-old point guard has missed the team’s last four playoff games after suffering a strained left hamstring in Game 3 of Miami’s first-round matchup with Atlanta. Lowry had previously been listed as questionable, but barring any setbacks, it sounds like he should be available.

“Stylistically it will change things in the margins,” Spoelstra said of Lowry. “But obviously he’s a highly decorated, experienced, playoff-battle-tested guy. He’s the guy that all season long that we turned to get us organized, particularly in the moments of truth. You need as many guys that you can available during the playoffs, that goes without saying.”

Winderman adds that all of the other Heat players who were listed as questionable — Tyler Herro (ankle), P.J. Tucker (calf), Gabe Vincent (knee), Max Strus (hamstring), and Caleb Martin (ankle) — will be active on Friday.

Vincent had been starting in place of Lowry, and the team went 4-0 in his absence. If Lowry does play, he’s highly likely to return to the starting lineup, as he started all 63 of his regular season games, averaging 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.1 steals with a .440/.377/.851 shooting line.

Bucks Notes: Middleton, Holiday, Matthews, Tucker, Hill

May 6th, 2022 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks have confirmed that Khris Middleton will miss Games 3 and 4 of their series with the Celtics, but they’re not speculating about his availability beyond that, according to Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. A report last week indicated that Middleton was likely to be sidelined for the entire second-round series and could be in jeopardy for the conference finals.

“We feel really good about where he is,” coach Mike Budenholzer said after Thursday’s practice. “We continue to hope he makes progress.” Budenholzer responded, “We’ll see,” when asked if Middleton could possibly play against Boston.

Middleton suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee on April 20 during Game 2 of Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series against Chicago. An examination was set for this week to reevaluate his condition and determine when he might be able to return. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in two playoff games against the Bulls.

There’s more from Milwaukee:

Jrue Holiday and Wesley Matthews have become the destructive defensive duo they talked about forming nearly five years ago, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. When Holiday was with the Pelicans and became a free agent in the summer of 2017, Matthews tried to convince him to join the Mavericks. However, New Orleans made Holiday a five-year, $150MM offer that was too good to pass up. “It was pretty close,” he said. “But I ended up staying with New Orleans. Money wins.”
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Heat forward P.J. Tucker says he felt disrespected by the Bucks’ offer after helping the team win an NBA title last season. Tucker added that he loved playing in Milwaukee, but management wasn’t willing to risk going into luxury tax territory to keep him. “For me, it wasn’t even about money,” he said. “It was more about respect because they basically told me to go find an offer and they would match it. After hearing that for me, I’m not coming back even if I had to take less money. To me, that was disrespectful. So, as soon as they said that, I told my agent Andre [Buck], basically, ‘We are moving on, whatever we get out of that, that’s what we’re doing.’”
George Hill is making progress toward returning from an abdominal injury, Nehm tweets. “He’s getting close. We’ll see how he responds to today,” Budenholzer said on Thursday. “He pretty much did all of practice and did some extra, a play group, afterwards. I think we just gotta see how he comes out of that.”

Embiid Listed As Out For Game 3 But Status Could Change

May 5th, 2022 at 4:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid is listed as out for Game 3 against the Heat on Friday but the availability of the Sixers All-Star center could change before game time, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

With Miami up 2-0 and the series shifting to Philadelphia, Embiid must be listed as out since he’s still in concussion protocols, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com tweets. Listing him as “out” does not necessarily mean he will be sidelined for Game 3, but it means he hasn’t cleared protocols yet, Neubeck explains.

NBA injury list rules would allow the Sixers to update his status over the course of the day on Friday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.

Embiid suffered an orbital fracture and mild concussion when he was struck by Pascal Siakam in the late going of Philadelphia’s first-round clincher against the Raptors. The Sixers have been encouraged by Embiid’s progress this week.

The Heat have listed six players as questionable for Game 3, the team’s PR department tweets. Kyle Lowry (hamstring), Tyler Herro (ankle), Caleb Martin (ankle), Max Strus (hamstring), P.J. Tucker (calf) and Gabe Vincent (knee) hold that designation but are all traveling to Philadelphia this afternoon. Lowry hasn’t played since Game 3 of the first-round series against Atlanta.

Heat/Sixers Notes: Tucker, Lowry, Robinson, Embiid, Niang

May 4th, 2022 at 10:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat forward P.J. Tucker has been tasked with guarding top players throughout his long career, and this year’s playoffs are no different. After hounding Trae Young in the first round, Tucker is now guarding former teammate James Harden, who has been contained by Miami through the first two games of their second-round matchup with the Sixers.

Despite the grueling physical toll that comes with covering great offensive players, Tucker says he feels like he’s still in the midst of his prime, as Marc J. Spears of Andscape relays in a lengthy interview with the veteran.

“I told [my agent] that I feel better now than I felt when I was 31 and 32. And he was like, ‘Yo, what?’ I feel like during those two or three years I hit my prime. I’m still in the middle of my prime,” Tucker said. “From my body to my mind, and the way I play the game and understanding how to win, to be a real winner, I feel like I’m hitting my prime, and it’s crazy, man, to be 36, about to be 37 [Tucker turns 37 on May 5] and still feel like that. It’s crazy.

“I’ve spent a ton of money on my body, therapists. I take care of my body and I have my whole career. So, that’s a blessing to still be able to be out there and play whatever amount of minutes and do what I do and [put] my body on the line nightly.”

Here’s more on the Heat/Sixers series:

Kyle Lowry, who missed Game 2 after suffering a strained hamstring in Game 3 vs. Atlanta, is eager to return to action, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, but the Heat are being cautious with their starting point guard, leery of the possibility of him aggravating the injury. “We’re not basing any of these decisions on whether we’re winning or losing,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Tuesday after practice. “This is what we think is best right now.”
After an inconsistent regular season and having his minutes gradually reduced in the first round, Heat guard Duncan Robinson has been out of Miami’s rotation completely in round two, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (subscriber link). “It literally can change next game. It’s a playoff rotation,” Spoelstra said of not playing Robinson on Monday. “He’s stable enough, he’s ready enough and it might just be some moments where he really can change a quarter or a game and just be ignitable. It’s just the way we went tonight.”
Joel Embiid‘s status remains up in the air for Game 3, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. When asked if Embiid could play on Friday, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said he was uncertain. “He’s got so many steps to go through. I don’t think he’s cleared any of them,” Rivers said after Game 2’s loss on Wednesday. Embiid is expected to be reevaluated on Thursday.
Sixers forward Georges Niang fouled out in just ten minutes of action in Game 2’s 119-103 loss and he’s apparently been limited by a knee injury. “(Niang) hasn’t been 100 percent for awhile,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Niang has been playing through the injury, but it’s a situation worth monitoring because he’s a key bench contributor and was the team’s second-best three-point shooter during the regular season at 40.3%.

And-Ones: Coaching Candidates, Kirkwood, Garuba, Embiid

May 4th, 2022 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

Suns assistant Kevin Young, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Celtics assistant Will Hardy, Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic, Heat assistants Chris Quinn and Malik Allen, and Warriors assistants Mike Brown and Kenny Atkinson are among the assistants around the NBA who are viewed as potential head coaching candidates by league insiders, according to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz (Insider-only link).

A number of the names on Arnovitz’s list have been linked to one or more of the NBA’s three current head coaching openings. Ham and Brown, for instance, all believed to be under consideration by all three of the Hornets, Lakers, and Kings.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Harvard senior guard Noah Kirkwood, who declared for the 2022 NBA draft as an early entrant, has decided to remain in the draft and go pro rather than using his final year of college eligibility, according to agent Ronnie Zeidel (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports).
Rockets forward/center Usman Garuba said in an interview with Spanish outlet AS.com that he’s committed to representing Spain at this year’s EuroBasket competition, as Eurohoops relays.
In an intriguing bit of international basketball news, an RMC Sport report indicates that Sixers center Joel Embiid is exploring the possibility of obtaining French citizenship and representing France in future international events. Embiid was born in Cameroon, but has family from France and has never suited up for the Cameroonian national team.

Oladipo Talks Injury, Recovery, Role With Heat, All-Star Aspirations

May 3rd, 2022 at 10:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat reserve shooting guard Victor Oladipo sat down for an extensive conversation with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), discussing his long recovery from a series of quad injuries, among other topics.

“11 months ago I couldn’t even walk or bend my legs so to be able to… run up and down the floor and perform in the game I love is a blessing in itself,” Oladipo said of his return to Miami’s rotation.

After injuries to starting point guard Kyle Lowry and All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler necessitated bench reinforcements, Oladipo drew the start for Butler during a pivotal close-out Game 5 in Miami’s first-round series against the Hawks. The former two-time All-Star looked like his Pacers-era self, scoring 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting across 36 minutes.

“I definitely am happy and thankful for us winning, first and foremost,” Oladipo said. “Now it’s time to get locked in on round 2, and that’s what we’re focusing on.”

Miami took care of business in its first game of the second round, beating the visiting Sixers 106-92 without Lowry. In a reduced role in Game 1, Oladipo scored five points on 2-of-8 shooting across 26:49 minutes of game action.

Here are more highlights from the conversation:

Charania asked Oladipo about how he deals with his new life as a role player for Miami. “It’s definitely not easy, the unknown aspect of what the day brings,” Oladipo said. “At the end of the day, you just control what you can control.”
The 6’4″ shooting guard discussed his feelings after undergoing his second quadriceps tendon surgery last spring. “From ‘Why me?’ to giving up, ‘What do I do next?’ to ‘Should I just stop?'” Oladipo said. “Go through every single emotion… then look yourself in the mirror and say: ‘Man, keep going.'”
Oladipo, an unrestricted free agent this summer, aspires to return to his former All-Star glory. “My goal is to show everyone that I’m still elite,” Oladipo said. “I know it’s not always going to be easy, but I’m willing to put in the work.”

Heat’s Tyler Herro Named Sixth Man Of The Year

May 3rd, 2022 at 6:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat reserve guard Tyler Herro, currently lighting it up in the postseason for Miami, has won the NBA’s 2021/22 Sixth Man of the Year award, the league announced in a press release.

As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets, Herro is the first Heat player to win the award and just the fifth player in league history to average 20+ points coming off the bench.

Last month, the third-year shooting guard was announced as a finalist for the honor, along with Cavaliers big man Kevin Love and Suns forward Cameron Johnson.

The NBA released a full breakdown of votes cast by a panel of 100 broadcasters and sportswriters (Twitter link). Herro received 96 first-place votes, two second-place votes, and two third-place votes. Love finished second, with Johnson in third. The 2020/21 Sixth Man of the Year, Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, placed fourth in voting, while Clippers wing Luke Kennard rounded out the top five. Eight other players received at least one vote.

Across 66 games this year, Herro averaged 20.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 4.0 APG for Miami, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 53-29. The 6’5″ wing had shooting splits of .447/.399/.868. Still just 22, Herro is eligible for a contract extension this summer. This hardware could certainly help his case at the bargaining table.

“It means a lot,” Herro told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I accepted the sixth man role [at the beginning of the year] for a reason. I wanted to be the best sixth man in the league.”

“I just realized what this team was built for,” Herro added. “It was built for a championship. When you look at our roster, if I was our coach, I would probably bring myself off the bench, too. Just looking at what we have on the team, if it makes sense to bring either me or Jimmy [Butler] off the bench, obviously it’s going to be me. We’ve got to bring one of our main scorers off the bench. And I understand that.”

Love announced his support for Herro in a tweet following the announcement. “Everyone who knows me knows I love Tyler Herro’s game (and swag) – much respect on an incredible [Sixth Man of the Year] campaign,” the former five-time All-Star wrote, in part.

Kyle Lowry Remains Out For Game 2

May 3rd, 2022 at 12:32pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Kyle Lowry (hamstring strain) will miss Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Sixers, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). This will be the fourth straight game Lowry has missed.

Lowry, 36, suffered the injury against the Hawks in Game 3 last round. He missed the entire fourth quarter of the contest, which was the only game Miami lost in the series.

The Heat started Gabe Vincent in place of Lowry on Monday. Vincent finished with 10 points and three assists in 29 minutes, shooting 4-of-12. Lowry’s absence has also resulted in Victor Oladipo playing more, as Oladipo received nearly 27 minutes in Game 1.

Caleb Martin (ankle), P.J. Tucker (calf), Max Strus (hamstring), Vincent (knee) and Tyler Herro (ankle) are all listed as questionable for Game 2. Jimmy Butler (knee) and Markieff Morris (illness) have been removed from the injury report, though Butler missed Tuesday’s practice with an excused absence.

Philadelphia will continue to play without superstar center Joel Embiid (mild concussion and orbital fracture). The team would gain home court advantage by beating Miami on Wednesday night.

Heat’s Butler, Herro Available For Game 1

May 2nd, 2022 at 4:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and several other Heat players who were listed as questionable for Game 1 of the second-round series against the Sixers are available to play, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.

Butler missed the Game 5 clincher against the Hawks due to knee inflammation after averaging 30.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 5.3 APG in the first four games. Herro (illness), Max Strus (hamstring), P.J. Tucker (calf), Caleb Martin (ankle) and Markieff Morris (illness) were also listed as questionable on Sunday but are now expected to suit up.

Officially, these players are listed as “warming up with intention to play,” Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets.

Starting point guard Kyle Lowry will miss his third straight game due to a hamstring strain.

Poll: Philadelphia 76ers Vs. Miami Heat

May 1st, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by JD Shaw

The Sixers and Heat will tip off Game 1 of their second-round series on Monday in Miami. Both teams are coming off wins against talented teams, the Raptors and the Hawks, and the clubs will meet in the postseason for the third time in the last 11 years.

Miami finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season at 53-29. Meanwhile, Philadelphia ranked fourth in the East at 51-31 and went 14-7 in the games James Harden played. Both clubs should be considered legitimate title contenders.

However, both teams are currently dealing with injuries. The Sixers will be without Joel Embiid (mild concussion and orbital fracture), though he could return later in the series. Miami has several players who are listed as questionable for Game 1 (including Jimmy Butler) and won’t have starting point guard Kyle Lowry to open the series due to a hamstring strain.

When examining the rosters, Philadelphia has the edge with its starting lineup at full strength. Tyrese Maxey, Harden, Tobias Harris and Embiid combined to score 84.3 points per game in the team’s first-round series. The next-highest scorer was Danny Green (9.0 points), who started every game. Teams have also struggled to keep Harden and Embiid off the line. They combined to attempt 17 free throws per game in round one.

Miami’s strengths lie in its defense and depth. The team effectively took Trae Young out of its first-round series, forcing Young to average 15.4 points and 6.2 turnovers per game on 32% shooting. The Heat held Atlanta to an average of 97.4 points across five games and took advantage of its elite bench, receiving 23 points from Victor Oladipo to close the series. Oladipo played alongside Tyler Herro, the front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year.

Which team will win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals? We want to know what you think. Vote in our poll, then head to the comments section and weigh in with your thoughts!