The Miami Heat will be without Hassan Whiteside and James Johnson against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night:
Kenneth Faried is doubtful for the Rockets against the Heat tonight with a bruised left hip. Iman Shumpert (sore right calf) is out.
For the Heat, James Johnson (left AC sprain) and Hassan Whiteside (left hip strain) are out.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) February 28, 2019
While being down Whiteside and Johnson isn’t ideal, the Heat are riding high off that buzzer-beater win courtesy of Dwyane Wade over the Golden State Warriors. Facing the Rockets right after that will be a tough task, but the good news for the Heat is the Rockets will also be playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Whiteside has started all 53 games he has appeared in this year. The center is averaging 12.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
Johnson has appeared in 41 games for the Heat, starting 33. He’s averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest.
With Whiteside and Johnson still on the pine, players like Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo will see larger roles once again. Both had solid games on Wednesday and will look to build upon them.
At the same time, this could mean a few more minutes for Udonis Haslem. With it being a back-to-back, the Heat could want to spread out the minutes more to keep everyone rested.
The 38-year-old has appeared in just five games this season, averaging four minutes. One of those games was Wednesday night (six minutes). With the Heat down a few key players, this could be another opportunity for the veteran to get a few more minutes.
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