Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. cleared to play in Game 1 vs. Pacers after neck injury
Forward Derrick Jones Jr. was cleared to play Tuesday in Game 1 of the Miami Heat’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
Jones was listed as questionable on Monday’s injury report because of a neck strain.
“The plan is for him to be cleared by [head athletic trainer Jay Sabol] in the next hour or so,” Spoelstra said of Jones about 90 minutes before the game’s 4 p.m. tip-off.
Jones participated in the walk-through portion of Monday’s practice after missing practice Saturday and Sunday.
This is good news for the Heat, which enters the playoffs with every rotation player available after Jones was cleared. Miami remained without rookies Gabe Vincent (right shoulder sprain) and KZ Okpala (personal reasons) on Tuesday.
Jones, 23, sustained the injury during Friday’s loss to the Pacers to close the regular season when he attempted to run through a screen and collided with 6-11, 250-pound Indiana center Goga Bitadze. Jones immediately fell to the ground and grabbed his neck after the scary collision, and was face first on the court for more than five minutes before he was rolled off the court on a stretcher.
An MRI, CT scan and concussion test revealed a neck strain and nothing more serious.
Jones, who won the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in February, averaged career highs in points (8.5), assists (1.1), steals (1) and minutes (23.3) in 59 games (16 starts) this season. He’s expected to be part of Miami’s playoff bench rotation.
Meanwhile, the Pacers remained without All-Star center Domantas Sabonis (left foot plantar fasciitis) and wing Jeremy Lamb (torn left ACL) for Game 1, and the foreseeable future. Forward T.J. Warren (right foot plantar fasciitis) was listed as questionable, but he will play Tuesday.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 2:40 PM.
