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Heat forward fractures hand in Bucks game
Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5). Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Heat forward Nikola Jovic fractured the second metacarpal on his right hand in the first half of an eventual 120-113 Sunday loss to Milwaukee, the team announced (X link).

Across 15 minutes of action off the bench, Jovic finished the game with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.

A recovery timeline for the 6-foot-10 big man has yet to be established. The third-year pro had been in the midst of his best NBA season yet. Through 46 games, he’s averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 steals a night. The 21-year-old is logging shooting splits of .456/.371/.828.

Longtime head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted veteran forward Kyle Anderson into his rotation to replace Jovic’s minutes.

Ahead of the season, Miami picked up Jovic’s $4.45M team option for the fourth and final year of his rookie-scale deal. His growth thus far is one of the few things that’s gone right for the Heat in 2024-25.

Sunday’s defeat to Milwaukee marked the Heat’s seventh loss across its last 10 bouts. Since Miami traded six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Warriors as part of a five-time blockbuster deal, the Heat have gone just 1-5. Overall, the club has fallen to an underwhelming 26-29 record on the season but remains now in the thick of the conference’s play-in tournament hunt.

This article first appeared on Hoops Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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