Bam Adebayo questionable for Heat’s game against Mavericks

The Heat could be missing key players for their crucial matchup with the Dallas Mavericks this weekend.

Center Bam Adebayo (hip bruise) and Kyle Lowry (left knee soreness) are questionable for Miami’s 7:30 p.m. game against Dallas on Saturday.

Adebayo suffered the hip injury when he fall during the Heat’s loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Adebayo has been one of Miami’s most consistent contributors this year, playing in 72 of 77 games so far this season. The 25-year-old center is averaging 20.7 points and a team-best 9.3 rebounds this season.

Lowry did not play in the Heat’s loss to the Knicks, the second game of a back-to-back, after playing in Miami’s previous four games. Lowry has been dealing with nagging knee soreness for much of the season.

The Heat will also be without rookie Nikola Jovic (back spasms). Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson remain with Miami’s G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Spo wishes UM, FAU luck in Final Four

While the Heat battle for playoff positioning, two college basketball programs are reaching unprecedented heights.

Florida Atlantic and Miami reached the Final Four for the first time in either program’s history. The Owls play San Diego State at 6:09 p.m. on Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston. Miami takes the court next, facing UConn at 8:49 p.m.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he watched the second half of Miami’s Elite Eight win over Texas with his sons and said he sent Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga a picture of his son celebrating and trying to do the famous “U” hand sign.

“I wished him good luck,” Spoelstra said, “and I love seeing the old footage of when he was coaching at George Mason. Seventeen years since he went to the Final Four. It’s been a fun season with that group.”

However, Spoelstra said he has yet to meet FAU coach Dusty May, who was previously toiling in relative obscurity at the Boca Raton mid-major program.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully having an opportunity to meet him this offseason,” he said. “I think it’s really just amazing what they’ve done with the program and built up the interest and then having success. It’s hard not to root for that program.”

Jamal Cain game-winner

Small forward Jamal Cain nailed a game-winning three-pointer for the Sioux Falls Skyforce to help send Sioux Falls to the G-League’s Western Conference final.

Cain, who is on a two-way contract with the Heat, nailed his shot with 31.3 seconds left, giving Sioux Falls a one-point lead over the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento Kings’ affiliate.

Cain, an undrafted rookie, has played 15 games with Miami this season, scoring 4.4 points per game and grabbing 2.6 rebounds per game.

“He’s been getting way better,” Heat small forward Caleb Martin said. “A lot of it, for him as a rookie — for every rookie coming in — a lot of it’s the mental aspect, coming in. He’s done a great job and made huge strides. He’s a very knowledgeable kid. He asks a ton of questions. He really wants to learn and get better. He’s In a great situation. He’s definitely the type of guy I feel like this organization loves.”

Cain and the Skyforce will play in the G-League’s Western Conference final against the winner of the Memphis Hustle-Rio Grande Valley Vipers game.

“That’s really been a fun group to see develop,” Spoelstra said. “Coming from Summer League to where they are now, they’ve shown incredible grit but also marked improvement individually but also collectively. That group has really come together to root for each other, to enjoy each other’s success, to compete hard for each other and now they’re experiencing something beautiful.”

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from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/FPOn8UW