Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic and big man Bam Adebayo are both listed as doubtful for Game 2 of the NBA Finals, it was announced Thursday.
Dragic has a plantar fascia tear in his left foot, while an MRI for Adebayo revealed a neck strain following Wednesday's 116-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1.
Heat All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler, who turned his left ankle at the end of the first half Wednesday night, was wearing a wrap on his left ankle Thursday. He said he will be ready for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Friday (9 p.m. ET, ABC).
"At this point, it's all hands on deck," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday. "And it's not like the guys that were potentially sliding into the rotation haven't played before; these guys have confidence and have played big roles for us all year long. Our depth has been one of our biggest strengths. It's not just coach-speak; we've utilized our depth all year long.
"The other benefit of all of this is we've been in this bubble with an extra training camp, and everybody's gotten great work in, regardless of whether they've gotten big-time minutes in these playoff series. We'll just have to see tomorrow who's available and make the adjustments accordingly."
Adebayo, who has averaged 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds during the postseason, clutched his shoulder as he exited with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter. He was briefly examined on the sideline before heading back to the locker room for X-rays, which were negative, the Heat said.
He played 21 minutes in the Game 1 loss, scoring just eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
Spoelstra on Thursday said this is a "different injury" than Adebayo suffered in the Eastern Conference finals. Adebayo has been dealing with a left shoulder/wrist issue after getting tangled up with Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum in Game 4 of that series.
Dragic had just six points and three assists in 15 minutes Wednesday, well below his playoff scoring average of 19.9 points per game.
He appeared to suffer the injury during the second quarter while driving against Rajon Rondo, but he didn't exit the game immediately. According to ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Dragic left the locker room after halftime and was nearly at the entrance to the court before a team staffer stopped him. The 34-year-old guard then went back to the locker room and did not return.
His status for the rest of the series remains unclear.
"I know he's as tough as anybody and it's the Finals," Spoelstra said of Dragic after Game 1.
Butler, who finished with 23 points and five assists in Game 1, said he expects a better performance from his injured group moving forward. He left in the second quarter after turning his ankle when he landed awkwardly while trying to score on Anthony Davis. Butler seemed to be slightly hobbled thereafter as he tried to lead the Heat's comeback attempt.
ESPN's Malika Andrews and Nick Friedell contributed to this report.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30017130/miami-heat-stars-goran-dragic-bam-adebayo-listed-doubtful-game-2-nba-finals
2020-10-01 18:35:11Z
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