The Miami Heat will have a depleted roster for Sunday night’s home contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, with Kyle Lowry one of four Heat players to be ruled out and P.J. Tucker questionable.
Kyle Lowry again listed out for Miami for Sunday versus Lakers, due to personal reasons. PJ Tucker, who has calf soreness, is listed as questionable for the 6 PM game at FTX Arena. Morris, Okpala, Herro still out.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) January 22, 2022
On Friday night, the Heat dropped a close 110-108 decision to the Atlanta Hawks, with a furious fourth-quarter comeback coming up just short.
Despite the absences of players like Lowry and Tyler Herro, the Heat roster was bolstered earlier in the week by the return of center Bam Adebayo.
The unavailability of Adebayo over a lengthy span didn’t turn out to be quite as bad as thought. That’s because the Heat still managed to have a winning record during his seven-week absence.
Lowry, who was acquired during the offseason, has been an effective member of the starting lineup. Starting in all 39 of the games he’s appeared in this season, the 35-year-old is averaging 13.4 points, 8.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.
Tucker left Friday’s game with calf trouble, with the well-traveled veteran averaging 8.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season.
Herro entered health and safety protocols earlier this week, with the Lakers contest being the third consecutive contest that he will sit out.
The Heat’s opponent on Sunday, the Lakers, are having many more issues and enter the game with a 23-23 record on the year. Injuries and chemistry issues have been the main problem for the Lakers, who began a six-game Eastern Conference road trip with a win on Friday night.
The Heat hope for a better result in this clash against the Lakers after dropping a 120-117 overtime decision on Nov. 10.
