Tyler Herro

Heat’s Pat Riley Talks Butler, Injuries, Herro, Rozier, More

May 6th, 2024 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Player availability – or lack thereof – was a focus for Pat Riley during the Heat president’s annual end-of-season press conference, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Riley repeatedly brought up the fact that Miami needs to have its best players available more often and made it clear that figuring out how to improve on that front will be a goal this offseason.

“That’s a deep dive for us this summer, player availability,” Riley said. “We must change some things but we aren’t going to rip anything apart.”

Riley’s most noteworthy comments on the subject came when he was asked about the possibility of a contract extension for Jimmy Butler. The star swingman is expected to look to tack on another year to his current deal, which runs through 2024/25 with a player option for ’25/26. But Riley said the team has yet to internally discuss that possibility and wouldn’t commit to giving Butler a new contract if he asks for one, pointing out that the front office doesn’t need to make that decision before 2025.

“It’s a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources, unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” Riley said (Twitter link via Jackson), adding that Butler’s availability was “discussed thoroughly” a year ago with his agent. The 34-year-old hasn’t appeared in more than 64 regular season games in a single season during his five years in Miami and was unavailable for the playoffs this spring due to an MCL sprain.

Amid recent speculation that Butler’s days in Miami could be numbered, Riley offered an even more eyebrow-raising quote when asked about the six-time All-Star’s claim that the Celtics and Knicks would “be at home” if he had been able to play in the postseason. Riley admitted he didn’t know whether Butler was “trolling” or serious, but suggested he shouldn’t have said anything either way.

“If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams,” Riley said (Twitter link via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald).

Here’s more on the Heat:

Asked if Miami would consider trading Butler if their other non-Bam Adebayo assets aren’t enough to acquire a star player, Riley said no, adding that the goal isn’t necessarily to add a third star. “There are a possibility a lot of things are on the table,” Riley said, per Jackson. “It’s not about getting another star. You get another star, your bench gets weaker.”
Riley was noncommittal when asked if the Heat would like to cut payroll this summer, acknowledging that the team will have to look at the “collateral damage” of operating over the first or second tax apron. However, he stressed that he doesn’t anticipate major changes and that the organization “is not about rebuilding.” “We’ve got a really good group of guys,” he said. “The No. 1 issue is player availability and having your guys healthy to play every night. We have to wrap our arms around that notion. When I talk to (Heat owners) Micky (Arison) and Nick (Arison), they understand this.”
Riley doesn’t necessarily agree with Udonis Haslem‘s opinion that Tyler Herro would be better off as a sixth man, noting that Haslem – a Heat employee – probably shouldn’t have shared that take on an ESPN broadcast. “Tyler is a starter,” Riley said, according to Jackson. “Is (coming off the bench) something you are going to ask a player one day? That’s where a coach has a job to do. … Whether it be (Herro or someone else), he may. Whatever is in the best interests of the team. We won’t know until we have everybody available.”
Addressing the neck injury that sidelined Terry Rozier for the playoffs, Riley said it shouldn’t be a long-term issue and added that the veteran guard was “everything I expected” after arriving in Miami from Charlotte. “It’s a process; it takes time. He said he feels good,” Riley said. “When you’re dealing with a spine, you’re not going to mess around with it. It’s going to heal. Doctors convinced us and him that in time it will heal and go away.”

Heat Notes: Martin, Second Apron, Spoelstra, Butler

May 4th, 2024 at 7:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Caleb Martin said at Friday’s exit interviews that his preference is to remain with the Heat, but Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explains that the team’s financial situation may not make that realistic. Martin has a $7.1MM player option for next season, which he’s expected to turn down to seek a longer and more lucrative contract in free agency.

“Everybody knows I want to be here. I make that known,” Martin told reporters. “That’s my goal is to be able to stay here, make it work. I want to be here as long as possible and for them to want me to come back. That’s my main goal.”

As we noted recently, it will be difficult for Miami to re-sign Martin and free agent Haywood Highsmith without crossing the second tax apron for next season. Chiang points out that the Heat have seven players under contract for 2024/25, and assuming Kevin Love, Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant all pick up their options, the team salary would be around $173MM with five slots left to fill.

Adding $4.2MM for the 15th pick in the draft, another $2.1MM for Orlando Robinson‘s contract, which is non-guaranteed for next season, and $2.5MM in unlikely bonuses for Tyler Herro, which have to be included for apron calculations, brings that total to $181.8MM for 12 players. That’s already above the projected first apron of $179MM and only $8.2MM away from the severe restrictions that are part of the second apron.

There’s more from Miami:

Coach Erik Spoelstra rejects the idea that the Heat didn’t place enough emphasis on the regular season and didn’t make a strong attempt to avoid the play-in tournament, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. After advancing from the play-in to the NBA Finals last year, there was a perception that Miami was content to try to do it again, which led to a bad first-round matchup with Boston. “To say that we did not philosophically take the regular season seriously, that’s totally off base,” Spoelstra said. “I could see why people would point to that because of missed games. We’re not a load-management team. There were things that happened and sometimes you can’t control that.”
With Jimmy Butler expected to seek a two-year extension worth about $113MM, ESPN’s Zach Lowe speculated on his latest podcast that Butler could be on the trade market this summer (hat tip to Bleacher Report). “There are scenarios, let’s just say, where the Heat trade Jimmy Butler for some future assets and some other stuff,” Lowe said, “… and that gives them the ammo to go out and call the Cavs, and say, ‘Hey, what about Donovan Mitchell?'” Butler is under contract through next season and has a $52.4MM player option for 2025/26.
Butler made some pointed comments about two Eastern Conference rivals and one of his former coaches (Twitter link from Rock the Bells). “If I was playing, Boston would be at home,” said Butler, who missed the first-round series with an MCL sprain. “New York damn sure would be f—ing at home.” Butler also rejected the idea that Josh Hart could guard him and said he has “love” for Tom Thibodeau but wouldn’t be interested in playing for him again. “I love Thibs but I don’t want Thibs,” Butler continued. “I love you baby, but I want to beat you to a pulp. You want me. I don’t want you. It’s like a one-sided relationship. You in love with me and I love you but I’m not in love with you.”

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Trade Assets, Bam

May 2nd, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Heat forward Jimmy Butler is expected to seek a two-year, maximum-salary contract extension with Miami, worth approximately $113MM, before the start of the 2024/25 season, a source tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

The theoretical deal would kick in for 2025/26. Butler has a $52.4MM player option for that year, which the extension would replace.

If Miami opts to not extend Butler, Chiang argues, the team could be faced with an unhappy star. The 34-year-old swingman led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances – and an additional appearance in the Eastern Finals – during his first four seasons with the club, though he has dealt with a series of injuries, including an MCL sprain that knocked him entirely out of the playoffs this year.

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald speculates about the potential trade haul Miami could receive in exchange for its best player should the team opt not to extend Butler.

There’s more out of Miami:

Following a first-round playoff elimination marred by injuries, the Heat face a variety of questions about their future this offseason. The biggest, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel contends, surrounds what Miami brass wants to do with shooting guard Tyler Herro. Winderman wonders if Miami will look to trade the 2022 Sixth Man of the Year this summer, or if it will consider demoting him back to a bench role going forward. Herro is owed $93MM across the remaining three years of his deal.
With the Heat set to explore the trade market this summer, Jackson takes stock of the club’s movable assets, consulting with a rival scout on the value of those pieces. The scout criticized Herro’s inconsistency both as a player and as an injury risk. As far as young players still on rookie scale deals go, the scout is high on the ceilings of forwards Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. The scout also addressed the contracts of guards Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier, Miami being a potential trade destination for Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, and more.
One fascinating potential internal change the Heat could consider, according to one alum who still works for the franchise, is shifting All-Star center Bam Adebayo from center to power forward, writes Jackson in another piece. While on the ESPN program “First Take” this week, 20-year Miami vet Udonis Haslem explained why he thinks the 6’9″ big man could benefit from a positional move. “He can guard all five positions but he would have even more of a matchup at the 4 position where we can post him up and do different things with him,” Haslem said. “Go for a center and possibly another scoring guard.” Haslem is currently the Heat’s vice president of basketball development, and also hosts a podcast with fellow ex-Heat champion Mike Miller.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Rozier, Richardson

April 27th, 2024 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Jimmy Butler sidelined by an MCL sprain, the Heat are comfortable relying on Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to be their on-court leaders, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Both players responded when they were asked to expand their games in Wednesday’s surprise victory at Boston. Adebayo scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and frequently served as the primary defender on Jayson Tatum.

“He had big responsibilities defensively,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Then on the road, yes, it was really important that we had a place where we could just throw the ball and just kind of get settled, especially when they would go on runs or the crowd would get in it and he produced. He was great when we needed to get it settled and he went right to his spot and was able to get some relief points for us.”

Herro took a larger role in running the offense, handing out a career-high 14 assists to go with 24 points and five rebounds. Ten of his assists came on three-pointers as Miami set a franchise record by sinking 23 threes in a playoff game.

“We need his aggressiveness, we need his scoring, we need his shooting, we need his play-making,” Spoelstra said. “Depending on the possession, it can be any one of those things. But he was good on both ends of the court. He was very good defensively, he was competing on that end, a lot of winning things.”

There’s more from Miami:

A greater emphasis on three-point shooting was one of the adjustments Spoelstra and his staff made after the Game 1 loss, Chiang adds in a separate story. The Celtics were sending extra defenders at the Adebayo-Herro pick-and-roll, which created open shots from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Heat concentrated on switching rather than the combination of blitzing ball-handlers and drop coverage they used in the opener.
Terry Rozier will miss his ninth straight game today with a neck issue, but he hasn’t been ruled out for the rest of the first-round series, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Rozier has undergone numerous tests to determine what’s causing the neck pain, and the Heat are being “very cautious” about his condition, Chiang adds. Rozier was a starter before being sidelined, but Chiang doesn’t believe he’ll automatically be inserted back into the starting lineup if he’s able to return.
In the same piece, Chiang says it’s likely that Josh Richardson will pick up his $3.1MM player option and return to the team next season. Richardson owns a house in Miami and enjoys playing there, and Chiang points out that his market value will be limited after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in March.

Heat Notes: Martin, Highsmith, Shooting, Adjustments, Butler

April 25th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Last postseason, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent helped propel the Heat to a Finals appearance and priced themselves out of the team’s range in the offseason. Strus went on to sign a four-year, $62.3MM contract in a sign-and-trade with Cleveland while Vincent departed for the Lakers on a three-year, $33MM deal.

A similar situation may be happening this year with Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Martin was instrumental in the Heat’s Eastern Conference Finals win over Boston last year, averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting 48.9% from three in that seven-game series. He had an up-and-down regular season in 2023/24 but just scored 21 points while making five threes against the Celtics in Game 2 of their current series.

Highsmith had a career year with Miami, averaging 6.1 PPG while shooting 39.6% on three-pointers and emerging as a key rotation player in 26 starts. He had nine points, three rebounds and one steal on Wednesday against Boston while continuing to display his impressive defense.

Martin has a player option for next season at $7.1MM that he’s likely to decline, while Highsmith will be an unrestricted free agent. As Jackson observes, the Heat project to have a payroll of $172.9MM next year if Kevin Love, Josh Richardson and Thomas Bryant pick up their small player options, which is expected, and if Martin opts out.

Jackson notes that while the Heat own the Bird rights for both players, re-signing both, or either, would put them over or extremely close to the restrictive second tax apron. Miami might be able to re-sign Highsmith without going over the second apron, but that’s a less likely scenario with Martin, who is expected to demand at least the full projected $12.8MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Marks expects Highsmith to get between $8-10MM annually.

Miami didn’t offer Strus a contract last year but offered Vincent a four-year, $34MM deal before he signed with L.A.

We have more notes on the Heat:

The Heat shocked the Celtics in Game 2 on Boston’s home floor (where they lost just four games in the regular season) behind a historic three-point shooting display, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Miami, without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, bounced back from a 20-point loss in Game 1 to defeat the Celtics and steal home court advantage by evening the series 1-1. The Heat set a franchise record for threes in a playoff game by connecting on 23 of their 43 attempts. It is tied for the second-most three-pointers Miami has ever made in a game in franchise history. “It was a very good response just from the connectivity, the efforts, all of that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. As observed by Heat.com’s Couper Moorhead (Twitter link), Miami now has four playoff games in the past two seasons with 50% shooting from three, all of which came against Boston. No other team has more than one such game against any opponent.
Spoelstra made it a point of emphasis to get better looks and a higher volume of shots from beyond the arc after the Heat were out-shot 22-12 from deep in Game 1, ESPN’s Chris Herring points out. By beating Boston in Game 2, Miami became the first playoff team in the past 30 years to win by double-digits after being an underdog of 14 points or more.
As Herring details, the Heat made it an emphasis to get Tyler Herro involved as a play-maker — he had 14 assists — and to limit Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with six points on 1-of-9 shooting. “We’ve been doubted a lot through our playoff runs, people saying we couldn’t do a lot of stuff that we did,” Bam Adebayo said. “So for me and my team, why lose belief now? Our backs are against the wall. Everybody’s against us. So just use that as fuel.“
Despite the expectation that he’ll miss multiple weeks with his MCL injury, Butler is staying involved in the Heat’s postseason. In an Instagram post, he poked fun at the Celtics after Miami took Game 2. As Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes, Butler has been involved in other ways too, and sent teammate Herro a more serious message ahead of Game 1. “Just before the series, [Butler] texted me to take the team and lead these guys, just make every right play,” Herro said.

Heat Notes: Playoff Prospects, Rozier, Depth, Herro

April 8th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Sunday’s loss at Indiana was extremely damaging to the Heat‘s hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami slipped into eighth place at 43-35, a game-and-a-half behind Indiana and a half-game back of Philadelphia. The Pacers clinched the tie-breaker with the Heat, now holding a 2-1 advantage in head-to-head games, and Indiana will get the sixth seed if the teams finish in a three-way tie.

Miami’s long-shot hopes of escaping the play-in involve winning its final four games while the Pacers lose two of their last three. The Heat’s schedule is favorable with a trip to Atlanta on Tuesday, followed by a home game with Dallas the next night and a pair at home against Toronto to end the season. The Pacers will play at Toronto and Cleveland before finishing up the season at home against Atlanta. A complete collapse by Cleveland, Orlando or New York over the final week is Miami’s only other chance to finish in the top six.

There’s more on the Heat:

Terry Rozier sat out the fourth quarter on Sunday due to neck stiffness that caused him to be listed as questionable heading into the game, Chiang adds. Rozier played just 22 minutes and was limited to four points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field. “I never like to make excuses, but I shouldn’t have went today,” he said. “I shouldn’t have played. I felt like I hurt the team by trying to be a warrior and get out there.”
The Heat’s season-long injury issues have resulted in significant minutes for numerous players, which could be an advantage heading into the postseason, Chiang states in a separate piece. “It’s a good thing that we can go 10 people into the rotation and everybody feels comfortable,” Jimmy Butler said. “Everybody knows the plays and everybody knows where they’re supposed to be at. … That’s a good problem to have whenever you’re going into the playoffs. It’s a good problem to have whenever you’re trying to be as deep as possible.”
Tyler Herro credits a decision to rest with helping him return after missing more than a month due to a hyperextended left knee and medial tendinitis in his right foot, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The time off, combined with a platelet-rich plasma injection, enabled him to resume playing over the weekend. “So the PRP shot was kind of bringing it some extra reinforcement, to kind of hopefully release some pressure on the tendon,” Herro explained. “And I was able to do that with some weeks of rest after the PRP shot. And, ultimately, that’s what got me back on the floor.”

Heat Notes: Herro, Starting Five, Defense, Love, Bryant, More

April 6th, 2024 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

While Thursday’s loss to the Sixers was a disappointing one, the Heat had a good day on Friday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, as Tyler Herro returned following a 20-game absence and scored 17 points in a convincing, much-needed victory over Houston.

“It’s just great to have him back,” Erik Spoelstra said of Herro. “His head coach didn’t forget what he brings to the table. That skill level, the creativity, the speed, the quickness, all that stuff is what we need.”

Herro came off the bench for the first time this season in his return to the court, as the Heat stuck with a starting lineup of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, and Nikola Jovic. No five-man unit has started more games (13) or played more minutes together (170) for Miami this season than that one.

However, the results for that group have been mixed, as Chiang observes, with a -4.9 overall net rating, so Spoelstra won’t necessarily feel the need to stick with it now that the team is healthier. Herro had started 103 consecutive regular season games prior to Friday — it could just be a matter of time before he returns to the starting lineup.

Here’s more on the Heat:

The Heat had another strong night defensively on Friday, according to Chiang, who wrote earlier this week about the way the team has been performing on that end of the court during the second half. Since January 30, the Heat rank second in the NBA (and first in the East) in defensive rating and have now moved up to No. 4 for the season. “It’s been a goal all season to get to top five and stay top five,” Caleb Martin said. “So it’s good that it’s starting to come around at the right time. I think that we always understand when it really comes down to it, that’s our ticket to winning the game, whether that’s in the playoffs or getting in a position to where we don’t have to worry about the play-in.”
Kevin Love, who has been back in the Heat’s rotation for the past three contests after missing 16 games due to a heel injury, went out of his way this week to praise his replacement, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “You got to tip your hat to TB (Thomas Bryant). He’s been playing awesome,” Love said. Bryant has been a DNP-CD in the three games Love has played, but earned praise from Spoelstra as well for the minutes he gave the club during Love’s absence: “It takes a professional like Thomas to have an understanding of that, this is what depth is all about. And obviously we’ve used all of our depth. But the depth becomes more complex when you have more guys available. He really gave us such tremendous minutes the last six weeks when Kevin was out.”
Haywood Highsmith didn’t open the season as a regular rotation player for Miami, but has become a trusted contributor and played nearly 27 minutes on Friday even with Herro back and the roster relatively healthy. “He’s so inspiring right now,” Spoelstra said this week, per Winderman. “He just continues to grind, continues to work, continues to get better. And he just does all the little things for our team, to help you win. You need players like this to win in this league.” Highsmith will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension by June 30.
While the Sioux Falls Skyforce were eliminated from the G League playoffs on Friday, the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate earned a pair of end-of-season awards earlier in the day. Two-way player Alondes Williams, who was the runner-up for the G League’s MVP award, was named the NBAGL Most Improved Player (Twitter link), while Skyforce general manager Eric Amsler was the league’s Executive of the Year (Twitter link).

Heat’s Tyler Herro Returns To Action On Friday

April 5th, 2024 at 6:10pm CST by Luke Adams

6:10pm: Herro will return to action on Friday in a reserve role with an unspecified minutes restriction, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links).

7:42am: There’s optimism that guard Tyler Herro could return to action on Friday when the Heat face the Rockets in Houston, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Herro has been sidelined since February 23, having missed Miami’s past 20 games due to a hyperextended left knee and medial tendinitis in his right foot. The knee is no longer an issue, but the foot injury has kept the 24-year-old on the shelf.

Herro is traveling with the club on its three-game road trip to Houston, Indiana (Sunday), and Atlanta (Tuesday), Charania notes, so even if he’s not cleared to return on Friday, it sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll be back in action before the Heat return home next week.

It has been an injury-plagued season for Herro, who also missed several weeks in November and December. However, he has played some of his best basketball when he has been healthy, averaging a career-best 20.8 points and 4.4 assists in in 33.6 minutes per game across 36 appearances (all starts).

Herro’s 39.9% mark on three-point attempts also matches a career high, and he’s attempting more of those outside shots than ever (8.1 per game), so he’ll be a welcome addition to a Heat team that could use his scoring and shooting as it battles for a top-six spot in the East.

With Herro on the verge of returning, it’s unclear whether or not Terry Rozier will be available on Friday vs. the Rockets, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Rozier appeared to suffer a knee injury late in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia, and while he told reporters after the game that he felt better, head coach Erik Spoelstra suggested the club will take another look at the knee on Friday.

“He banged knees,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll just have to see how he feels when we get on to Houston. He said he feels fine. You don’t want to take anybody for their word until we get to Houston, see each other (Friday) morning. He’s tough.”

Injury Notes: Heat, C. Johnson, J. Brown, Warriors

March 31st, 2024 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

While Tyler Herro (foot) remains sidelined for Sunday’s game vs. Washington and Caleb Martin (ankle) will also be unavailable, the Heat are getting a little healthier overall.

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, Kevin Love was available on Friday after missing 14 games due to a heel injury, but he wasn’t needed in a 60-point blowout of Portland, so head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to give him another day off.

Love will be active on Sunday and Duncan Robinson appears to be on track to return from a five-game absence due to a back ailment. According to the team (Twitter link), Robinson has been listed as probable to play vs. the Wizards.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Nets wing Cameron Johnson, who has missed three straight games due to a sprained left big toe, was upgraded to questionable for the club’s game vs. the Lakers on Sunday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. It looks like there’s a good chance Johnson will be available for at least one end of Brooklyn’s back-to-back set on Sunday and Monday against L.A. and Indiana, respectively.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown said after Saturday’s win in New Orleans that his left hand has been bothering him as of late and that he plans to get it “looked at” when the team returns home after playing in Charlotte on Monday (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe). Brown hasn’t missed any time as a result of the injury, but this would be the time to give him a game off if it’s needed, since Boston has already clinched the top seed in the East.
The Warriors, in the thick of a race for a play-in spot, were missing Jonathan Kuminga (knee) and Klay Thompson (knee) on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter links via Kendra Andrews of ESPN). Both players are considered day-to-day and have been listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in San Antonio.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Bey, Ball, Clifford, Heat

March 28th, 2024 at 11:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hawks’ surprise comeback victory against the Celtics on Monday served as testament, in part, to the growth of Atlanta’s developing young backups, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Hawks ultimately bested a top-seeded Boston team 120-118 after trailing by as many as 30 points. That marks the biggest rally in the league across the past 26 years. Williams notes that backups Vit Krejci and Bruno Fernando served as key pieces in the victory. The duo played big roles in part as a result of injuries to Bey, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and All-Star Trae Young.

“I mean, it’s a next-man mentality,” Krejci said. “We got a couple guys out. But we still believe that with the roster we have, right now, we can compete with anybody.”

The Hawks followed Monday’s victory up with a 120-106 win over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday and a 123-122 overtime victory over the Celtics tonight. Atlanta now finds itself in the midst of a four-game win streak. At 34-39, the team sits just one game behind the 35-38 Bulls for the East’s ninth seed.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Hawks small forward Saddiq Bey‘s surgery on his torn left ACL on Thursday was a success, Atlanta has announced (Twitter link). The Hawks reveal that Dr. Riley Williams at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York conducted the procedure, and that Bey will stay in New York for an estimated 10 days.
Star Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball was ruled out for the season earlier today due to his lingering right ankle ailment, which is especially bittersweet given his impressive play prior to that injury, writes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. His 23.9 PPG and 1.8 SPG this year represented career highs, as did his 8.3 made field goals and 4.1 converted free throws. “I want to say the last nine games he played, he was top-five in scoring, top-five in assists and I think top two or three in crunch time scoring and crunch time assists,” head coach Steve Clifford said. “I think it was easy to get excited about and it’s also something he can build on… Look, injuries are a part of this league and, again, all I know is he’s been incredibly diligent. So, it’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just the way it’s worked out.” The injury-prone Ball, whose maximum rookie-scale salary extension kicks in next season, has only played more than 51 games in a season once, during his lone All-Star year in 2021/22.
Several key Heat contributors could be back on the floor for the team soon, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Starting shooting guard Tyler Herro put in a shooting workout after practice on Thursday as he continues to gradually recuperate from his right foot medial tendinitis. “We don’t have a timeline [for a comeback], but yeah it’s definitely encouraging that he’s able to get on the wood and start to get ready,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Herro, who has missed 16 straight games since February 23. Reserve floor-spacing center Kevin Love has seen his status for Friday’s matchup with the lottery-bound Trail Blazers improved to probable as he continues to work his way back from a bruised right heel. Star swingman Jimmy Butler is also considered probable to return after sitting out the team’s Tuesday loss to the Heat with an illness.

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