9:36: Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Lowry has a hamstring injury of unknown severity and will undergo additional testing on Saturday, per the team (Twitter link).
9:01pm: Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter of Game 3 against the Hawks on Friday night, which caused him to leave the game and not return, the team announced (via Twitter).
According to John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link), Atlanta forward De’Andre Hunter landed on Lowry’s foot while the two were away from the ball, causing the guard to hop off the court. It’s unclear at this time if the injury will impact his availability going forward, but the fact that he had to leave the game early isn’t a great sign.
Lowry is in his first season with Miami after a hugely successful nine-season stint with Toronto. He’s a six-time former All-Star and won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.
In 63 regular season games this season (33.9 minutes), the 36-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.1 steals with a .440/.377/.851 shooting slash line. Those numbers have dipped a bit through the first two games of the Miami/Atlanta playoff series, with Lowry averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 boards, 5.5 assists, 1 steal and 1.5 blocks on .375/.300/.800 shooting.
With Lowry potentially sidelined, Miami will likely rely on backups Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent for additional minutes and play-making duties.
The Heat ultimately lost a nail-biter to the Hawks in Game 3, 111-110. The Miami now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday in Atlanta.