Terry Rozier will suit up for the Heat at Portland on Tuesday night after missing the previous four games with a sprained right knee, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports. Rozier is averaging 12.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per contest since being acquired from Charlotte.
Miami will also have Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic back after they served one-game league suspensions on Monday. Tyler Herro (left knee hyperextension) will sit out once again. Herro was injured on Friday against New Orleans.
Herro underwent an MRI on his injured knee on Monday that showed no structural damage, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
We have more on the Heat:
- Delon Wright played a major role in the shorthanded team’s 121-110 victory over Sacramento on Monday night during his Heat debut, Chiang writes in a separate story. He contributed 13 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 35 minutes. Wright signed with Miami after being bought out by Washington. “The player of the game for us in the locker room was Delon,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I don’t think his stat line was spectacular by people probably on the outside. But, man, he plays winning basketball.”
- Wright adds depth at the guard spots but it will be tough for him to get consistent minutes when everyone’s healthy, Chiang notes in his latest mailbag. With eight other players locked into the rotation, Wright will have to fight for playing time with Josh Richardson, Haywood Highsmith and Jovic.
- Going back to the altercation with the Pelicans, Spoelstra was grateful that more players weren’t suspended for leaving the bench area. He praised the NBA’s head of basketball operations, Joe Dumars, for not penalizing players who stayed out of the scuffle. “[Dumars] understands it from a player’s perspective and I think that’s really important,” Spoelstra told Chiang. “That it’s not letter of the law, it’s observing it, looking at it, seeing all the context of it and then making the best decision based on everybody’s parties. The league, No. 1, the players and teams.”
- Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were mentioned prominently in trade rumors last summer when the Heat pursued Damian Lillard before the Trail Blazers dealt the perennial All-Star to Milwaukee. Both players spoke to Winderman about what might have been if a trade had gone through. “Me and Jaime were not the biggest pieces in the trade, but of course you think if you’re going to be in a package,” Jovic said.
Updated Eastern Conference Playoff Power Rankings
1. Milwaukee
2. Miami
3. Boston
4. Cleveland
5. New York
6. Orlando
7. Philadelphia
8. Indiana
Might have to give Atlanta another look. They are not looking bad right now without Trae.
Doc Rivers says hello
Doc Rivers is a fool
Bucks won’t make it out of the first round
Ny and Philly over Cleveland all day
Putting Philly and Miami over the Cavs is insulting. Putting Milwaukee #1 is just “you don’t know ball” territory.
Miami gets benefit of the doubt until Eastern Conference teams can prove that, other than the top teams like Boston and Milwaukee, other teams can beat them in the Playoffs.
The true insult is listing Boston #3. They should be #1 with Milwaukee #2, then the Heat. The rest don’t matter until they prove they can beat any of Boston, Milwaukee and Miami in the Playoffs.
Boston is the best team in the East.The Bucks are playing better. No way they beat the Celtics in 7. Cleveland has the guns to get the 2 seed. We shall see.
Agreed about Boston.
As for Cleveland, they have to prove it in the Playoffs, not the regular season.