The Miami Heat suffered their second consecutive loss on Saturday night, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks by six points in overtime, and forward Andrew Wiggins was once again sidelined for Miami in that contest.
Wiggins has been dealing with a hamstring injury as of late and has yet to suit up for the Heat in the month of April. He last played in Miami’s win over the Atlanta Hawks on March 27.
Following Miami’s loss to star big man Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Wiggins admitted that it’s been “frustrating” watching the Heat play from the sidelines as he nurses his injury.
“Definitely been frustrating, just because I want to be out there, playing with the guys and just fighting,” Wiggins said. “I feel like this is a new thing for me. I feel like usually I play throughout the season a lot of games, but being hurt sucks.”
On the bright side, he claimed that he’s targeting a return to the court for Miami very soon.
“Hopefully in the next couple of games I’ll find my way back on the court,” Wiggins said.
Wiggins acknowledged how well Miami has played lately even despite the team’s recent skid and said that he’ll look to “contribute to winning” when he’s healthy once again.
“I believe in myself and the team’s been rolling,” Wiggins said. “So just being out there and trying to contribute to winning and do whatever the team needs me to do, I think I’ll be in a good spot.”
The 30-year-old put together his top scoring performance in a Heat uniform not long before he went down with his hamstring injury. In a win over the Charlotte Hornets back on March 23, he went off for 42 points and shot 16-of-21 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range.
That win for Miami on March 23 marked the start of an impressive six-game winning streak that lasted into early April. The Heat picked up victories over the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Hawks in that span.
The Heat are now trying to get back in the win column after dropping their past two contests, and while a top-six seed in the East and a guaranteed playoff spot is out of reach for Miami, it is still fighting for positioning in the play-in tournament.
Miami is just 1.5 games behind the Hawks for the conference’s No. 8 seed.
The Heat have four games left on their regular-season slate, and hopefully Wiggins will suit up in at least one of those contests.
Miami’s next game is scheduled for Monday night against a Philadelphia 76ers team that has been one of the worst squads in the East this season.
Wiggins is listed as questionable for that matchup.
