Heat’s Kyle Lowry to miss at least three more games; Orlando Robinson, Oladipo eyeing returns
Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry’s knee injury will keep him off the court for a while longer.
The 36-year-old veteran will miss the next three games due to lingering left knee pain, the Heat announced Tuesday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he was not concerned by Lowry’s absence and that the veteran would not need any “procedure” for his ailing knee to heal.
“I think this is just what you deal with in a long NBA season,” Spoelstra said. “There’s going to be unpredictable things. The encouraging thing about it is there doesn’t need to be a procedure. … We just need to calm it down.”
Lowry did not dress for Miami’s loss at Milwaukee on Saturday and has missed 10 games this season.
Lowry’s absence comes amid trade rumors before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, where the Heat could be looking to potentially offload his $29.7 million contract for next year.
The Heat already made one move approaching the deadline, dealing center Dewayne Dedmon and a 2028 second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs.
Robinson not expecting to miss time
Despite suffering a fractured right thumb during Miami’s recent road trip, rookie center Orlando Robinson is not expecting to miss much time. He said he expected to play Wednesday night against the Pacers after saying his thumb “felt good” during practice Tuesday.
“I went to the doctor’s and she said it was in position to heal good and everything,” Robinson said. “And obviously, I asked if I could play on it. So she was just like, ‘You definitely can, just safely, with the splint.’ ”
Robinson said he still felt some pain when practicing, but he can get over it. He said he likely would have played even if his thumb was not in the correct position.
“He was saying even on the road trip that he just needed to tape it up, splint it and take a couple of Advil,” Spoelstra said. “We wanted to make sure that we got him back here, that the doctors all felt comfortable with that plan and built him a very secure splint. So he’s ready to go.”
Robinson, who is on a two-way contract with nine NBA days remaining, is averaging 4.3 points with 4.2 rebounds over his 24 games played this season. After those remaining nine games, the Heat will either have to send him to the G-League or convert him to a standard contract.
“Obviously, if I sat down for three weeks, it would heal just fine,” Robinson said. “But, you know, got to play through some things. Mamba mentality.”
Oladipo working through ankle issue
Heat guard Victor Oladipo spent much of the season battling knee pain, and after finally getting back on the court in December, played in all but two games until a right ankle sprain sidelined him against the Knicks and Bucks.
Oladipo said his ankle was “feeling better” on Tuesday and that he planned to return relatively soon.
It would almost be expected for the veteran guard to be frustrated by his long injury history, especially after being limited to just 96 total games over the previous four seasons. But Oladipo remains upbeat.
“It’s easy to be frustrated … but it’s what happens in the game of basketball,” Oladipo said. “Everybody, whether you have injury or not, you get banged up every now and then. Just a part of the season. Got to make sure that you listen to your body and continue to just get healthy.”
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