As the Miami Heat look to get ready for the playoffs, one of their remaining regular season opponents is dealing with a significant injury.
The Indiana Pacers, who the Heat will play on Friday, are treating forward T.J. Warren for plantar fasciitis, according to a source.
Warren has unexpectedly been one of the deadliest NBA players during the resumption of the 2019-20 season. Despite never being named to an All-Star team, Warren averaged 34.8 points a game on 60.5 percent field goal shooting in his first five games in the bubble.
Heat star Jimmy Butler called Warren out in a January matchup, and the trash-talking continued when the two teams faced off on Monday.
Thanks in part to Butler, Miami held Warren to a paltry 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field.
The Heat and Pacers are currently engaged in a fight for the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed. Miami is currently just a half-game ahead of the Pacers for the fourth spot.
Of course, given the bubble environment, the advantage of being the fourth seed this season may be negligible at best.