While the Miami Heat were at one point for a couple of games fully healthy recently besides Josh Richardson who was announced as being out for the season earlier, that has since quickly changed. Heat star Terry Rozier will miss Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with neck spasms which will mark his second straight game missed as head coach Erik Spoelstra gives insight into the injury.
Rozier has been impressive for Miami since being traded from the Charlotte Hornets right before the NBA trade deadline where he has been an upgrade at point guard from Kyle Lowry, now with the Philadelphia 76ers. With three games left in the regular season though, his status is up in the air as Spoelstra described Rozier’s neck as “really jacked up” before Wednesday night against the Mavericks.
“As soon as he gets relief, it’s as simple as that,” Spoelstra said when Rozier will come back to the lineup. “You know, his neck is just really jacked up, you know, right now and he needs to calm that down. For anybody that has had neck or back pain, it just takes time. He’s doing everything he needs to do.”
So far with the Heat, Rozier has averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from the three-point line. When asked by ClutchPoints what the status will be for Rozier moving forward, Spoelstra said he will be “day to day” as anything can change.
“He’s day to day, it is also one of those things that one day you wake up and it’s gone,” Spoelstra said.
Rozier admits he “shouldn’t have played” against Pacers last Sunday
The last game Rozier played was on April 7 against the Indiana Pacers where he shot two for seven from the field, scoring four points in what was an uncharacteristic performance. He even said bluntly after the game that he “shouldn’t have played” according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“I mean, I never like to make excuses, but I shouldn’t have went, I shouldn’t have played…,” Rozier said. “I felt like I hurt the team by trying to be a warrior and get out there, and I feel like I hurt myself, but we move on, can’t do nothing about it, I know it’s going to get better.”
Tyler Herro returning with a bang for the Heat
While it’s unfortunate Rozier won’t play, the good news is that Tyler Herro is back and should see an uptick in point guard duties. He has played in three games since missing 20 contests prior with “right foot; medial tendinitis” and even started in Tuesday’s win over the Hawks likely because of Rozier’s absence.
Besides scoring and leading the team with 33 points, he played an eye-opening 48 minutes as the game went into double overtime. Spoelstra said before Wednesday’s game that himself, Herro, and even the training stuff “didn’t know what to expect.”
“I didn’t know what to expect and he didn’t know either, training staff didn’t know either. You know, we just wanted to be responsible with the decisions and he wanted to, but you never know until you get back and see how you feel, go through the day of treatment and all that. He’s ready to go,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t think even if it goes triple overtime that we’re gonna play him 40 minutes tonight, but he can give us minutes tonight, there’s not a restriction. He feels great and that’s the biggest thing.”
The Heat are still fighting to get out of the play-in tournament and obtain a top six seed as the goal is simple, win out. Miami is 44-35 which puts them eighth in the tightly packed Eastern Conference with three games left.
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