John Hefferon MD
2 min read • May 25, 2022
Posted in
Tied 2-2 in a rollercoaster series, the Eastern Conference Finals moves to Miami with some key injury questions ahead of Wednesday's Game 5.
Two key guards who missed Game 4 are listed as questionable ahead of a pivotal fifth game in the series.
Below, our Pro Basketball Docs detail which player is more likely to play and perform well in the sunshine state.
Marcus Smart
The Defensive Player of the Year suffered a right ankle sprain mid-way through Game 3, but returned to finish the contest.
Despite playing his usual minutes down the stretch in Saturday's Game 3, Smart missed Game 4 because of overnight swelling in his ankle.
Now on his fourth day since the injury, he has a good chance to be active for tonight's game, according to our panel of Pro Basketball Docs.
Smart carries a SIC player health score of 71, meaning he will have limited mobility on both ends and will likely struggle to defend laterally.
Tyler Herro
The Sixth Man of the Year missed Game 4 with a left groin strain he picked up in Game 3.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne delivered this report Tuesday on the severity of Herro's groin strain.
Groin strains of any severity are difficult for shot creators like Herro to play through, according to the Pro Basketball Docs. If his strain is as bad as reported, Herro may not return to full effectiveness even if the Heat advance.
He carries a SIC player health score of 44 for Game 5. Herro has a less than 50% chance to play in the contest and will be on limited minutes if he is active.
The groin strain will likely also make him a liability on defense.
Other Players Listed as Questionable
Robert Williams III is listed with left knee soreness. He missed Game 3, but returned in Game 4 with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 18 minutes played.
His left knee bone bruise is still linger from the Milwaukee series and leaves him truly questionable to play in back-to-back games.
For Miami, Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent are all likely to play through their various ailments.
Lowry continues to be plagued by his hamstring injury, leaving him with limited effectiveness and a chance of reaggravating the injury.
Written by John Hefferon MD
.@ramonashelburne says Tyler Herro is pushing to play through his groin injury ⬇️ "This is an injury ... that would normally keep him out 2-4 weeks if this was the regular season."
