Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris reportedly is likely to miss at least 10 games due to the neck injury he suffered from the shove from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
“Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra already had gone on record about the NBA’s adjudication, with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic suspended for only one game for his blindside shove to Markieff Morris,” the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman wrote.
“But with Morris not on the Heat’s four-game trip, it means the veteran forward likely will miss at least 10 games with what the team is listing as whiplash.”
Morris has not played for the Heat since their Nov. 8 matchup with the Nuggets. It’s been a major blow to Miami’s bench unit, as Morris was playing 18.7 minutes per game in his 10 games prior to the injury.
“Now it is an injury that likely will have him out at least until the Heat return to FTX Arena on Nov. 29,” Winderman wrote.
“The opponent that night? Jokic and the Nuggets.”
If Morris returns for Miami against Denver on Nov. 29, there is no doubt that tensions will be high between the two teams.
It’s surprising that the NBA gave Jokic just a one-game suspension considering how severely he injured Morris, but the Heat have been able to stay afloat without him.
Miami entered Saturday night’s game against Washington Wizards with an 11-5 record on the season.
This season, Morris is averaging 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. The Heat certainly hope he can return to the lineup sooner rather than later as they try to remain among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.