The Miami Heat will be without starting point guard Goran Dragic for a sixth straight game with a right knee injury, despite being a full participant in practice, according to David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Hybrid guard Tyler Johnson will also miss Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and could be out for another week, according to a team source.

“They’re doing more work. There’s no update on either one of them,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said following Thursday’s practice. “Doing more work, always a good sign.”

The Heat had started the season 5-5 through the first 10 games of the season, dealing with plenty of absences with the likes of Dion Waiters and James Johnson out of the lineup. Dwyane Wade's paternity leave also made a hole on the team's depth, yet his return had done little to help the team get back on track, as they have lost five of their last six games.

Miami had a chance to swing big by trading for Jimmy Butler, but ultimately grew tired of the infantile back-and-forth with the Minnesota Timberwolves and pulled back their three-and-D star Josh Richardson from conversations.

Richardson has proven a capable scorer and a defensive stud, but his maturity as the focal point of this team is still developing. While he's done a better job cleaning up his turnovers issues (no turnovers in three of the last five games), he coughed the ball up five times in the team's latest loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

“We just got to take care of it,” Richardson, the team's leading scorer, said Thursday. “Goran comes in, and he doesn’t really turn the ball over much, so we got to try to replicate that. But really, just getting shots on goal is a big thing for us.”

At 7-13, the Heat are hoping to get bodies back on board and make a push to stay afloat, hopeful to keep this team from what looks like another rebuilding season.