MIAMI — The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are set to face off for the second time this season on Thursday night. And, both Eastern Conference rivals should be mostly healthy when they meet, though several injuries loom on both sides.
For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (low back spasms) and Sam Hauser (hamstring tightness) are both off the injury report, while Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) remains out. Jayson Tatum, of course, remains out as well as he continues to rehab an Achilles tendon he ruptured
8 months ago.
The Celtics, who have dropped two straight, will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the season’s opening week, when they started 0-3.
The Heat have several key players on the injury report; Tyler Herro is probable with a toe contusion, Nikola Jovic is probable with right knee soreness, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. is questionable with left knee soreness. Davion Mitchell, meanwhile, is doubtful with a left shoulder contusion.
The Celtics currently have the 3rd-best record in the Eastern Conference at 24-15, while the Heat have the conference’s 9th-best record at 21-19. Both teams have won 6 of their last 10 games.
A quick glance at the Miami Heat’s season so far
Erik Spoelstra’s squad has largely been a middle-of-the-pack team so far this season; they have the league’s 20th-best offensive rating (113.5), 4th-best defensive rating (112.1), and 14th-best net rating (+1.4).
The offense has been a well-balanced attack led by offseason acqusition Normall Powell, who has averaged 23.9 points per game. Bam Adebayo continues to put up solid numbers — 16.8 points and 9.7 rebounds — but he’s in the midst of the most inefficient season of his career, shooting just 45.6% from the field.
His runningmate, Tyler Herro, has an injury-riddled campaign thus far and has only appeared in 10 games, but he’s been the team’s second-leading scorer (21.9 points per game) when available.
Jaime Jaquez (15.9 points, 4.6 assists)and Andrew Wiggins (15.8 points) have also been key contributors, as has been second-year standout Kel’el Ware (11.9 points, 10.1 rebounds).
Davion Mitchell, who averages 9.1 points and 7.3 assists per game, shoulders significant defensive responsibilities, often being tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top player. His potential absence against the Celtics puts more pressure on Miami’s other defenders.
Celtics-Heat will tip-off at 7:30pm at the Kaseya Center on Thursday.
