The Miami Heat will take on the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference battle on Friday night, but Miami could be without several key players in the matchup.
The Heat listed six players as questionable for Friday’s game, including Dewayne Dedmon (ankle sprain), Haywood Highsmith (hip flexor strain), Caleb Martin (calf contusion), Markieff Morris (hip flexor strain), Gabe Vincent (big toe contusion) and Omer Yurtseven (non-COVID illness).
In addition, the team will be without veteran forward P.J. Tucker due to a calf strain.
The Heat are currently the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and have a two-game lead on the Boston Celtics.
Miami is looking to lock up the top spot in the East, and a win against the Hawks would go a long way. Atlanta is currently in the play-in tournament conversation in the East as the No. 9 seed.
Losing Tucker, who has started 70 of the 71 games he has appeared in, will force the Heat to switch up their starting lineup on Friday.
Miami has won five straight games ahead of Friday’s matchup. The Heat could end up facing Atlanta again in the first round of the playoffs if the team is able to get through the play-in tournament and earn the No. 8 seed. Miami would need to remain in the top spot for that matchup to happen.
The Heat and Hawks are scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. EST on Friday. Miami will have one more game left in the regular season following Friday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
