Miami Heat again without Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic for Game 3 of Finals
The Miami Heat will again be without two important starters in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Center Bam Adebayo (neck strain) and guard Goran Dragic (torn plantar fascia in left foot) will not play in Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Both players missed the Heat’s Game 2 loss on Friday with their injuries, and they were also ruled out for Game 3 just a few hours before tip-off Sunday.
Without Adebayo and Dragic in Game 2, the Heat started Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder and Meyers Leonard on Friday against the Lakers. Miami used that same group to start Game 3.
“It’s just some bad luck of the draw for us right now on that end that the injury bug hit us right now,” Crowder said before Sunday’s game. “But we can’t feel sorry for ourselves. They don’t feel sorry for us and I wouldn’t feel sorry for my opponent. So at the same time, we’re all in the NBA and this is what it is.”
Adebayo and Dragic have been working and lobbying hard to return to the court before the end of the Finals, and they were listed as doubtful on the Game 3 injury report before they were ruled out Sunday evening. There has been more optimism around the team that Adebayo will be able to return during the championship series than Dragic.
Adebayo told Yahoo Sports after Friday’s loss that he hoped to play in Game 3: “Yes, I believe I’ll be in the lineup. I’m feeling better. I believe I’ll play.” But that will not be the case Sunday.
“Both Goran and Bam are literally like family members and I can see the anguish literally in their eyes, both of them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Sunday’s game. “And everybody in the locker room feels that when you’re in this elite percentile of being a competitor in this league and you get to this stage and you have these kind of unfortunate injuries. I know them and their soul, they both will do anything to get out there and it puts me in a different position.
“We also have to be responsible, and that’s out of love for them. They both are making progress. They’re not ready to play or compete in this game at this intensity level. But they really want to be there because they love their teammates and they have put their heart and soul into this. Their teammates really feel the same way. We’re all feeling it. This is the most responsible thing to do right now. And they still will have an impact with their leadership and their spirit on the bench.”
According to Cleaning the Glass, an NBA advanced stats site, the Heat has been outscored by 15.4 points per 100 possessions this postseason when both Adebayo and Dragic have not been on the court. Miami has outscored opponents by a total of 55 points in the playoffs with the duo on the court together.
Without Adebayo and Dragic, the Heat enters Game 3 as a 9.5-point betting underdog as it looks to avoid a 3-0 series hole.
Dragic, 34, did not play in the second half of Game 1 because of the foot injury. He recorded six points on 3-of-8 shooting and three assists in 15 first-half minutes, as the injury looked to occur in the second quarter when Dragic stepped on Lakers guard Rajon Rondo’s foot.
Dragic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has been one of the Heat’s most reliable and efficient offensive options this postseason. He entered the Finals averaging a team-high 20.9 points on 45.2 percent shooting, to go with 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists during the playoff run.
Sunday marked the 16th game Dragic has missed this season because of various injuries, but just the second one he has been unavailable for this postseason.
As for Adebayo, his left shoulder bothered him during the Eastern Conference finals. But Spoelstra said Thursday that the neck strain is a “different injury.”
Adebayo, 23, finished Game 1 of the Finals with eight points on 2-of-8 shooting, four rebounds and zero assists in 21 minutes before leaving the game in the third quarter.
Adebayo has been one of the Heat’s best players in the playoffs, averaging 17.8 points on 55.7 percent shooting, 10.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals. Sunday marked just the third game Adebayo has missed since the start of his second NBA season.
Adebayo and Dragic are tied with a team-best plus/minus of plus-77 this postseason.
The next opportunity for Adebayo and/or Dragic to return will be in Game 4 on Tuesday (9 p.m., ABC).
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 5:31 PM.
