On Thursday morning, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said that both Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry would be game-time decisions against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
Spoelstra says Adebayo and Lowry will be game-time decisions.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 6, 2023
Since that update from Spoelstra, Adebayo has been upgraded to probable for tonight’s contest. Lowry is still listed as questionable.
That’s a good sign for the Heat, who are still in the mix to get the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami needs to keep racking up wins to finish the regular season, and it will need losses from the Brooklyn Nets as well to earn the No. 6 spot.
Adebayo missed the team’s game on April 1 against the Dallas Mavericks, but he returned to the lineup just three days later for the Heat’s win over the Detroit Pistons.
The All-Star big man put up 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win over Detroit.
Lowry, who still appears to be a game-time decision, has been nursing a knee injury in the second half of the 2022-23 season. The injury cost him 15 games from Feb. 4 to March 10.
On the season, Lowry is averaging 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 40.1 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. He has come off the bench for Miami since returning from the injury on March 11.
Gabe Vincent has started in Lowry’s place, and he could see extended minutes on Thursday night if the veteran guard can’t go. Star Jimmy Butler will also likely carry a bigger weight in the playmaking department if Lowry ends up sitting.
Philadelphia is locked into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, so it will be interesting to see how much the Sixers play their starters in this matchup. Philly picked up a big win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night behind 52 points from MVP candidate Joel Embiid.
This game is much more important to Miami than it is to Philly, as the Heat are looking to avoid the play-in tournament. With Adebayo looking likely to play, the Heat are in a good spot to pick up a much-needed road win.
