Rozier, Butler and Jovic back. Who’s available and who’s out for Heat vs. Trail Blazers?
The Miami Heat is getting a few players back from suspension and one player back from injury for Tuesday night’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic will be available on Tuesday for the Heat after serving their league-issued one-game suspensions in Monday’s road win over the Sacramento Kings. Their suspensions stemmed from Friday’s fight in New Orleans.
Terry Rozier will also make his return for the Heat on Tuesday after missing the previous four games with a sprained right knee. Rozier has started nine of his first 10 appearances with the Heat since Miami acquired him in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 23.
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But the Heat remains without Thomas Bryant (league suspension), Jamal Cain (G League), Tyler Herro (left knee hyperextension), Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation), Orlando Robinson (lower back spasms), Dru Smith (right knee surgery) and Cole Swider (G League) against the Trail Blazers.
The Heat, which had 10 available players for Monday’s win in Sacramento, will have 11 available players for Tuesday’s game in Portland on the second night of its back-to-back set on the West Coast.
The 11 available Heat players against the Trail Blazers: Bam Adebayo, Butler, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jovic, Kevin Love, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Rozier, Alondes Williams and Delon Wright.
The Trail Blazers, which entered Tuesday with the NBA’s fifth-worst record at 15-41, ruled out Malcolm Brogdon, Moses Brown, Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Robert Williams III for Tuesday’s game because of injuries.
Since losing seven straight games, the Heat (32-25) won eight of its last 10 games to go from one game above .500 to seven games above .500. The Heat entered Tuesday in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
