Heat game time changes. And updates on Lowry, Butler, Bam, Martin, more Oladipo feedback
Because of the anticipation of wet and icy road conditions in San Antonio on Thursday night, Thursday’s Heat game at San Antonio has been changed from 8:30 to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Bally Sports Sun will televise it.
Meanwhile, the Heat on Thursday welcomed back point guard Kyle Lowry after a nine-game absence but temporarily lost Caleb Martin, who is dealing with assorted injuries.
Lowry returned to the team after missing nine games because of a family matter. He wasn’t made available for comment, and Erik Spoelstra stopped short of saying how much he would play Thursday night against San Antonio.
Bam Adebayo said Lowry returned “in great shape” and is ready to go.
The team continues to list Lowry as questionable.
“Kyle went through the shootaround,” Spoelstra said after Thursday’s morning session at AT&T Center. “It’s just great to have him back and with the group. And we’ll figure out the plan by the time we get back to the arena tonight. I know we were all excited to see him back in here.
“This is not his first rodeo. He’s an experienced, savvy player. He’ll know how to fit in. And we’ll just read it.”
Two other starters listed as questionable - Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker - also are on track to play Thursday night, Spoelstra said.
Butler is dealing with an irritated left big toe, while Tucker has been dealing with left knee soreness.
As for Martin, he said he’s dealing with a sore left Achilles and a “slightly” sprained ankle and two contusions.
“Main thing is the left Achilles’ - soreness, tightness,” he said. “I’ve had some of these nagging injuries past couple games. It’s a buildup over time. Just pushed through them, play as much as possible. Now it’s about being smart.”
Martin said there’s no definitive date to return, but he’s expecting it to be sooner than later. “Obviously, I’ll try to be back by next game” - Saturday at Charlotte.
With regard to Martin, Spoelstra said: “He’s just been getting a little bit worn down, so he has a few things that we just want to make sure we take care of now.”
The Heat went 5-4 in Lowry’s absence.
“He looked great; he missed basketball,” Adebayo said. “We welcomed him back. He didn’t have to address the team. We know his personal reasons. He’s a guy that can impact the team without even scoring a point. He’s that valuable. We’re just happy to have him back.”
The Heat’s All-Star-caliber troika of Lowry, Butler and Adebayo has played just 14 games together, spanning 257 minutes, with Miami outsourcing teams by 29 points in those minutes.
The fact that trio hasn’t played more together to this point isn’t viewed as a concern, Spoelstra and Adebayo said.
“We built habits in October and we also like each other so it’s easy for you to come back when you have a great relationship on and off and court,” Adebayo said. “We’re all like brothers. It’s easy for your brother to come back in the mix.”
And Spoelstra said of those three: “Those guys are really experienced and when they’ve been on the court together or even in practice, it feels like they’ve been together for a long time.”
Also out, besides Martin: Markieff Morris (neck), KZ Okpala (wrist), Victor Oladipo (knee) and Omer Yurtseven (NBA health-and-safety protocols).
Of those four, only Oladipo is traveling with the Heat.
Spoelstra said he had no update on Morris, who continues to deal with the effects of whiplash from being knocked to the floor by Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
“He’s continuing to work, as he has been doing for the last few weeks,” Spoelstra said.
OLADIPO UPDATE
Oladipo on Thursday again participated in a vigorous post-practice workout with Chris Silva, Kyle Guy and Udonis Haslem and continues to move closer to a return from last summer’s right quadriceps tendon surgery.
Spoelstra declined to give a timetable. “I don’t know; we’re not even at that point right now,” Spoelstra said.
A return around the time of the All-Star break appears realistic. The Heat’s first game after the break is Feb. 25 at the Knicks.
“He looks close, I will say,” Adebayo said. “He still has his same balance, his same motion. You can tell he’s starting to get his groove back. It will be a spark. Everyone is waiting to see what he can do. I feel he’ll be an incredible asset to this team.”
Adebayo said Oladipo will give the Heat additional “quickness, athleticism. He’s a guy that at one point had the keys in Indiana. He’s looking to be that form of himself.”
Guy said he doesn’t see any limitations with Oladipo.
“He still has that athleticism,” Guy said. “I’m sure that was the question. But he’s still got it. He looks great. Really good defender. Savvy with the ball. Makes tough shots. He’s looking really good. From what I see, he looks really healthy, ready to go.”
Guy said “it’s super competitive” when he competes with Oladipo in practice. “We get mad the rest of the day whenever we lose,” Guy cracked.
▪ Two Heat developmental projects rank in the team’s top five in plus/minus.
With Yurtseven on the court, the Heat has outscored teams by 88 points, the fourth best plus/minus on the team.
Max Strus is fifth in that category at plus 86.
With Tucker on the court, the Heat has outscored teams by 143 points, which is best on the team. Lowry is second at plus 138 and Butler third at plus 104.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 12:39 PM.
