Tyler Herro sent home and will miss remainder of Heat’s road trip with neck injury
The Miami Heat will be without starting guard Tyler Herro for the remainder of its four-game trip.
After returning to practice on Thursday in Tampa, Herro woke up Friday with more neck soreness and the team decided to send him home to Miami rather than have him push through the pain.
That means Herro will not only miss Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors in Tampa at Amalie Arena because of neck spasms, but he’ll also be unavailable for the final two games of the trip on Saturday and Monday against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Friday marks the fourth consecutive game Herro has missed because of the neck injury, and he’ll have missed six consecutive games due to the injury at the end of the trip.
Herro, who turned 21 on Wednesday, has averaged 17.6 points on 46.9 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 10 games this season.
With Herro ruled out for the remainder of the trip, his next opportunity to return will be when the Heat returns to Miami for the start of a six-game homestand on Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets.
The Heat also remains without wing Jimmy Butler and guard Avery Bradley because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Friday marks the sixth consecutive game both players have missed because of protocols, as their last game action came in Miami’s Jan. 9 road win against the Washington Wizards.
Heat center Meyers Leonard (left shoulder strain) will also miss his sixth consecutive game Friday.
Butler, Bradley and Leonard did not travel with the Heat to Tampa for the start of its four-game trip. It’s unclear whether they will join the team at any point during the trip, but Butler and Bradley had not resumed basketball activity yet as of Friday.
The Raptors will be without guard Kyle Lowry on Friday against the Heat because of an infection in his toe. But forward Pascal Siakam (left groin soreness) will be available for Toronto.
