The latest on Goran Dragic’s groin injury, and how long it could keep him out for Heat
Heat guard Goran Dragic played through the pain in Sunday’s win over the Nets, but he won’t push his injured groin in the final two games of the Heat’s three-game trip.
Dragic was ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Raptors and Wednesday’s matchup against the Celtics because of a strained right groin. It marks the second and third games that Dragic, 33, has missed this season, with the first coming due to an illness in the Heat’s Nov. 16 home win over the Pelicans.
“It happened in the game in Brooklyn in the first half,” Dragic said in advance of Tuesday’s game in Toronto. “I made a strong cut, and I just felt it. When you’re hot, you can play through it. And then, at halftime, I just made a decision with [athletic trainer Jay Sabol] and those guys that I’m going to play until the end, and that’s it.”
Dragic was able to finish Sunday’s 109-106 win over the Nets with a team-high 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting to go with six assists in 31 minutes. He finished with only five points on 2-of-6 shooting in the second half, though, after a 19-point first half.
At Tuesday morning’s shootaround, Dragic sat along the court with an electronic device to treat his injured groin. His hope is the injury won’t keep him out much longer than the final two games of the trip, with the Heat returning home to play the Wizards on Friday.
“I don’t know. It depends on how it’s gonna go,” Dragic said when asked if he expects to miss more than two games. “I understand that Jay has the best interest of the team in mind. Initially, he tells you a time that you don’t want to hear. But I’m just going to play it out, see how it’s going to go, day by day. The only thing I can do right now, is do everything I can, the treatments and see how I’m going to feel the next few days.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Dragic will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Miami.
Dragic, who has played off the bench in a sixth-man role, is averaging 15.9 points on 46.6% shooting and five assists in 18 games this season.
“It’s tough, it’s tough,” said Dragic, who played in a career-low 36 games last season due to right knee surgery. “But, at the same time, I need to take care of it and try to be healthy for my team. I feel great this season, but at least it’s not a major injury.”
The past is the past
When asked if playing in Scotiabank Arena for the first time this season brings back any memories from last season’s second-round playoff series against the Raptors, Heat wing Jimmy Butler didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“No. I’m on a different team now. In a different place,” said Butler, who was with the 76ers last season. “And sometimes you just got to let the past be the past. You can’t hold on to it for too long, because you get stuck there. I think we’ve all moved on. I think Philly has, as a whole. I have. This organization I’m with now. I’m sure Toronto has as well. You let the past be the past.”
Kawhi Leonard’s last-second, game-winning shot in Game 7 of the series eliminated Butler and the 76ers, with the Raptors advancing and eventually winning the NBA title.
▪ After losing Leonard in free agency this past summer, the Raptors have been able to remain among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Add Spoelstra to the list of those who have been impressed with Toronto’s start.
“They’ve proven right now that they have a championship culture and an organization that has had sustained success for a while, even though it took awhile to get to the mountain top and win it,” Spoelstra said. “Regardless, they’ve been one of the top teams in the East for several years. They’re doing a lot of the right things. None of that guarantees anything with competition, but you can see they have a foundation and something they believe in. And when you lose somebody of the caliber of Kawhi, probably what’s really unique is the level of talent they had in young guys developing to be able to step in.”
▪ Aside from Dragic, the only other player on the Heat’s injury report is rookie forward KZ Okpala, who was ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Raptors because of a strained left Achilles.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 1:11 PM.
