The Miami Heat will face the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night.
The most recent Injury Update for Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics
THE HEAT REPORT
Miami was on top of the world, having won the series 3-0 and advancing to the NBA Finals against Denver.
Concerns are growing for this squad in just a few days, and they must continue to address them.
The good news is that they will be returning home, where they have a 34-16 record and feel much more at ease.
There’s little doubt that the stakes in this series are mounting, and a loss at home may spell doom for a game seven, especially considering the long trip back to Boston.
The Heat are talented, but after Boston’s recent success, fans will be waiting to see how Miami responds.
To begin the series, the Heat dominated the three-point line on both sides, but as it faded, so did the Heat’s wins. Miami must keep Boston away from the three-point line early and often in this game, while also depending on their depth.
Jimmy Butler is going to have a huge night now that he’s back at home, but there are some concerns in the backcourt, especially with Vincent’s condition.
The Heat are also battling with a few injuries.
Tyler Herro (hand) and Victor Oladipo (knee) have both been ruled out for the season, so Gabe Vincent (ankle) will be the primary focus.
Vincent (ankle) is questionable for Game 6 against the Celtics on Saturday.
Vincent sprained his left ankle in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday and will be out for Game 5 on Thursday.
It’s unclear whether Vincent will be able to play Saturday as the Heat attempt to advance to the NBA Finals, but if he does, Kyle Lowry will almost surely start.
THE CELTICS REPORT
After dropping the first three games of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Boston Celtics did not appear to be a team prepared to dominate.
The Celtics, on the other hand, have come back to win their last two games by an average of 15 points.
When the teams play Game 6 on Saturday in Miami, they will try to tie the best-of-seven series at three wins apiece.
No NBA team has ever won a series after coming back from a 3-0 deficit, but Boston is on its way after averting elimination for the third and fourth occasions this postseason.
The Celtics also had two comparable triumphs against the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference playoffs.
The Celtics never trailed in Thursday’s game and led by as many as 24 points. They had led by as many as 18 points the night before in a 116-99 road win.
The great performance came after Boston appeared to be set to begin the offseason after losing Game 3 128-102.
“Game 3, that was as low as you can be,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “The benefit of being that low is that you can only improve.” It will only get better from here.
“It gave us the impression that everyone was counting us out.” We are expected to win. We’re done, and I suppose we started playing a little more freely and relaxedly.”
Jayson Tatum has established himself as one of the league’s best players, but Jaylen Brown remains the X-factor.
Following his struggles in the first three games, he has picked up dramatically in recent games, creating important mismatches.
In the end, the three-point line will very certainly determine their success or failure, so fans will want to keep an eye on whether they can capitalize on that crucial advantage, as shown before the game began.
The Celttics are also suffering from a few diseases.
- Danilo Gallinari
Gallinari (knee) has been ruled out of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami on Saturday.
Due to offseason knee surgery, Gallinari has yet to participate this season. The Celtics have given no indication that the veteran forward is nearing a return to the lineup.
- Malcolm Brogdon
Brogdon is questionable for Saturday’s Game 6 against the Heat due to a right forearm strain.
Brogdon had previously been playing with a partially torn tendon in his elbow, and he departed Thursday’s Game 5 victory early due to the injury.
He has a right forearm injury, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday.
Brogdon has averaged just 0.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game over the last three encounters, and his absence on Saturday would not be surprising.
