It wasn't quite the start to the season that the Miami Heat had envisioned with a season opener loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post, the Heat will be without the services of big man Hassan Whiteside for Saturday's home opener against the Indiana Pacers as he's dealing with a knee injury.
Whiteside suffered a bone bruise on his knee in Orlando game. He didn’t practice today and he will not play Saturday vs. Pacers. Day-to-day
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 20, 2017
The injury had occurred in the third quarter of Wednesday's game as he bumped knees with Magic center Nikola Vucevic. He was able to play through it where he finished up a huge performance with 26 points and 22 rebounds, which made him the first player since Kevin Garnett in 2007 with a 20-point, 20-rebound effort on opening night.
Whiteside had undergone an MRI on Thursday, which revealed that he had a bone bruise and he did not practice on Friday. The 28-year-old had stated that this latest ailment stems back to being hit in the same spot on his knee that was originally bumped with Atlanta Hawks forward Tauren Prince in the preseason opener.
“I’m not that worried,” Whiteside said Friday of the injury. “It’s just the fact that it was hit in the same exact spot. If it was just the first time I got hit in my knee right there, it probably wouldn’t have been as bad. But, you know, I got hit again in it. So we’re going to just try to let it heal and see from there.”
Although there isn't much concern about the injury, the Heat may take the precautionary route with the situation given his importance to the team. In Whiteside's absence, Miami may turn to rookie Bam Adebayo to get the spot start against the Pacers. The 20-year-old played just six minutes in the season opener where he didn't record a single point or rebound in his limited action on the floor.
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