Injuries, Discipline Issues Take Center Stage for Southeast Division Clubs
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The Miami Heat’s injury troubles continued Saturday night as a 127-111 loss to the Kings stretched their skid to three games. Missing Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson, head coach Erik Spoelstra fielded his 10th different starting group in 24 outings and later acknowledged the lineup’s lack of energy. “We didn’t have a lot of juice on either end of the floor,” Spoelstra said.
Spoelstra opened the second half with Jaime Jaquez Jr. instead of rookie center Kel’el Ware in an effort to spark the club. “Just looking for some juice, looking for something to kick-start just some energy,” he explained, adding the move “wasn’t an indictment on Kel’el.”
Miami did receive encouraging medical news: an MRI on Herro’s injured toe revealed only a contusion. Spoelstra said he avoided worrying about the test results beforehand, noting he tries “not to stress out about the things that you don’t know about or can’t control.”
Elsewhere in the Southeast Division, the Wizards kept rookie Cam Whitmore out of Saturday’s matchup for disciplinary reasons. Head coach Brian Keefe’s decision followed a series of late-game defensive lapses by Whitmore against Boston, highlighted in film clips shared by Post Sports. Washington, firmly in rebuilding mode, has repeatedly stressed the importance of playing “the right way” despite its record.
The Charlotte Hornets added forward Moussa Diabaté to their lengthy injury list on Sunday, downgrading him to out with right knee soreness ahead of a meeting with Denver. He joins LaMelo Ball, Pat Connaughton, Josh Green, Tre Mann, Collin Sexton and Grant Williams on the sidelines. After seven games in 12 days, rookie Brandon Miller welcomed the upcoming five-day layoff, saying the team plans to “just focus on the right things” before returning “with the mindset of dominating.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
