Understanding his importance to his team, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is not planning to sit out Thursday's game against the Toronto Raptors, despite receiving 13 stitches to close a gash on his right hand.

Less than a day after he suffered the laceration, when he accidentally hit his hand on the backboard, the 27-year-old Marshall product was even seen already back to work inside the weight room.

The Heat are currently in a battle for one of the last playoff berths in the Eastern Conference. Despite starting the season very slow with an 11-30 record, they have since become the league's hottest team and have won 23 of their last 29 games and currently own the eighth seed.

Whiteside has been part of their resurgence, doing a great job as the team's defensive anchor. He is having his best season in the NBA so far with career-high averages of 16.8 points and 14.2 rebounds to go along with 2.1 blocks per game.

Should he see action on Thursday, it's expected that his hand will be heavily wrapped to avoid the stitches from opening up. The South Beach faithful are hoping it won't serve as a distraction from him playing his natural game as a win on the night will further boost their chances of making it to the postseason.