Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin and Kevin Love are just some of the seven players included on the Miami Heat’s injury report for their home matchup versus the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
Martin (left thumb sprain) is the lone player on Miami’s injury report who hasn’t been ruled out. He is available to play for the Heat.
One of Miami’s best offensive players in Herro (medial tendinitis in right foot) along with several rotation pieces in Love (right heel bruise) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation) are all listed as out. Jamal Cain and Alondes Williams are on G League assignment. Meanwhile, Dru Smith is out due to right knee surgery.
Herro — who is averaging the second-most points per game of any player on the Heat in the 2023-24 regular season with 20.8 — has been sidelined for Miami’s last four games.
The last time he took the court for Miami was on Feb. 23, when he dropped 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block in the team’s 11-point victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Richardson has sat out for a longer period than Herro. He suffered a shoulder injury in Miami’s home loss to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 11 and hasn’t played for the Heat since. The 30-year-old logged a hair over seven minutes of action against the Celtics and totaled two points and two assists.
While it’s unfortunate that the Heat are dealing with a team-wide case of the injury bug right now, the Pistons aren’t exactly a formidable opponent. At 9-51, Detroit owns the second-worst record in the NBA at the moment, ahead of only the Washington Wizards, who are on a 15-game losing streak.
Thus, the Heat should have enough talent to earn a victory over the Pistons despite the fact that they will be without several productive players.
The next game on Miami’s regular-season schedule after Tuesday is slated for March 7, when the Heat will play the Dallas Mavericks on the road. The Mavericks are a much better team than the Pistons at 34-27 but have lost their last two games, with losses coming against the Celtics on March 1 and Philadelphia 76ers on March 3.
