Dragic is expected to play versus Pistons, but the Heat will be without another starter

There was good news and bad news for the Heat on Monday.

The good news is starting point guard Goran Dragic was in the starting lineup for Monday’s road game against the Pistons after missing Saturday’s loss to the Hawks with pain in his right foot. The bad news is starting center Hassan Whiteside will miss the contest in Detroit with a right knee injury.

Whiteside injured his knee during Saturday’s loss in Atlanta. He will undergo tests in Miami on Tuesday to further evaluate the issue.

“Things are going to happen,” coach Erik Spoelstra said Monday morning after the Heat’s shootaround. “You could see he didn’t have quite the same mobility in the second half the other night. He was sore yesterday and the same today. We’ll get him as much treatment as we can and re-evaluate him tomorrow when we get back to Miami.”

Whiteside finished Saturday’s loss with eight points and eight rebounds in a season-low 16 minutes. He exited the game with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter and never returned.

“It feels better than it did yesterday,” Whiteside said Monday of his right knee. “I’m not worried about it.”

Whiteside is averaging 12.4 points, 14.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in eight games this season. Monday is the first game he has missed this year.

Injuries derailed Whiteside’s season last year as he missed 28 regular-season games due to multiple issues — 18 games because of two separate bone bruises on his left knee, nine games with a hip injury and one game because of a stomach illness.

But Whiteside is optimistic his latest knee issue won’t keep him out for too long, and even added that he hopes to play in Wednesday’s home game against the Spurs.

“I don’t think it’s super serious right now,” Whiteside said of his knee injury.

The Heat remains without James Johnson and Dion Waiters, who both did not travel. Johnson is recovering May hernia surgery and Waiters is recovering from January ankle surgery.

This story was originally published November 5, 2018 at 1:30 PM.