Miami will be without the Sixth Man of the Year tonight.
Tonight’s pivotal Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics will be without the Sixth Man of the Year. Erik Spoelstra made the announcement earlier today after shootaround that guard Tyler Herro would be out with a left groin strain and his status is day-to-day as the series moves back to Miami.
“We just had to be responsible and take the decision out of his hands,” Spoelstra said. “He really wants to be out there tonight. The trainers and Dr. [Harlan] Selesnick don’t think that’s the best idea just because of the intensity and everything, but we’ll see. He’s young, we’ll treat him day-to-day, and we’ll see what happens from here.
“Obviously, we feel like our depth is one of our biggest strengths. So we have enough guys that can step up.”
Herro did not play down the stretch of Saturday’s Game 3 victory and was seen with his leg wrapped on the bench while Victor Oladipo, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent played crucial minutes. He finished with eight points in 20 minutes.
His injury may have contributed to his struggles as of late in the Eastern Conference Finals, where his 20.7 point-average during the regular season has been sliced in half to just 10.3 and his field goal percentages have dipped to 22.2% from three-point territory and 30.2% overall. But his scoring average in the postseason is just 13.5 points in six less minutes played than in the regular season. While his overall FG percentage only dipped from 44.7% in the regular season to 41.4% in the playoffs, his almost 40% 3-point shooting is just 23.2% in the postseason.
Boston hasn’t offered an update yet on the injury status of Marcus Smart (ankle) and Robert Williams III (knee) who are both listed as questionable.
The Heat do have some good news with Jimmy Butler returning to play in Game 4, where they can secure a 3-1 series advantage before Game 5 at the FTX Arena in Miami.