Cavs without bench star against Bam Adebayo, Heat
Yesterday at 09:35 PM
Looking to build momentum after their grind-it-out win over the Detroit Pistons, the Cleveland Cavalier are taking their talents to South Beach to face the Miami Heat. As mentioned before, last time out, the Cavs crushed the Pistons 110-91, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Heat, meanwhile, are on a two-game winning streak, with their latest win coming at home in overtime against the Orlando Magic.
This will be the second of three matchups between Miami and Cleveland. The last time both teams met, the Heat defeated the Cavs 122-113. So, Cleveland will be looking for revenge heading into this matchup. Unfortunately, both teams are dealing with injuries, so health will play a factor in deciding the winner.
Who is on the injury report for the Heat against Cleveland?
The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler (suspension), Josh Richardson (heel), Dru Smith (Achilles), and Isaiah Stevens (NBA G League assignment) against the Cavs.
Butler’s suspension is part of the ongoing saga with the All-Star forward forcing his way out of Miami. The team said Butler left Monday's morning shootaround practice early, before a game against the Orlando Magic — something the team called "intentionally withholding services." The suspension is without pay and indefinite for now, with the team saying it will last at least five games.
Without Butler, the Heat rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and beat Orlando 125-119 in double overtime.
"What it means right now is just we proved to ourselves that we have a tremendous amount of grit," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You know, and you gain confidence from that."
Butler was suspended for Miami's most recent two games after missing a team flight to Milwaukee. Because of the suspensions, he has missed 15 of Miami's last 20 games, including 10 of the last 13. The first was a seven-game ban for conduct that the team deemed detrimental. The two-game suspension followed that. Now, the indefinite one.
Do the Cavs have any serious injuries heading into their South Beach brawl?
For Cleveland, the Cavs will be without JT Thor and Luke Travers. Both players are on assignment with the Cleveland Charge, the NBA G League affiliate of the Cavs, which shouldn’t be surprising. These players need on-court opportunities to grow and develop, something they don’t regularly get with the Cavs.
The more concerning injuries are that Cleveland will be without Isaac Okoro (shoulder), Dean Wade (knee), and Caris LeVert (wrist). Okoro has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury for quite a while, sidelining him for two separate stretches. Okoro has now missed five straight games, and his next chance will come against the Detroit Pistons.
Not having Okoro available hurts Cleveland’s defense, and not having Wade makes things even worse. Wade has emerged as a critical lynchpin for the Cavs on either end of the floor. He’s showcased an ability to defend multiple positions and hurt opposing defenses at the rim or on the perimeter. The Cavs recently announced that Wade would be sidelined indefinitely, making it a harder pill for Cleveland to swallow.
To round things out, LeVert has now missed four straight games with a nagging wrist injury. LeVert is critical to Cleveland’s bench, helping maintain the team’s dynamic offensive flow and exposing flaws in opposing defenses. It could still be a while before he’s back in the lineup. Max Strus and Ty Jerome will both continue to benefit from his ongoing absence.
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