MIAMI – With the Miami Heat facing the Washington Wizards on Saturday afternoon with little time left in the season, it will feature another missed game from star guard Norman Powell. As the Heat star in Powell looks to fortify his fit with Tyler Herro and others on the team, the guard has missed recent time due to an illness, as head coach Erik Spoelstra gives an update on his recovery.

Powell has missed the last three contests and will be absent for a fourth straight game on Saturday, with what has been listed as an upper respiratory illness. However, he is feeling better due to the change in the injury report's listing to “Return to Competition Reconditioning,” which was double downed by Spoelstra before the contest against the Wizards.

“He's feeling a lot better. So now he's just getting ready, gearing up to be available,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints. “He still had some big-time lingering effects. Two days ago, I felt a little bit better. Yesterday, was able to get some work in, and he'll continue to work.”

With Miami having four games left in the regular season after the Wizards game on Saturday afternoon, the team finds itself in 10th in the Eastern Conference, three games back of the sixth seed to avoid the play-in tournament. However, it is looking likely that the team will find itself in the tourney for the fourth straight season.

Up next for the Heat after Saturday against the Raptors is two crucial games against the Raptors, who are seventh in the East, next Tuesday and Thursday.

Heat's Norman Powell on what the current illness has felt like

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first half at Rocket Arena.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Powell's first season with the Heat has been a career-best for the veteran, earning his first All-Star nod, being the team's main offensive weapon alongside Bam Adebayo, as Herro missed a chunk of the season. He still leads the team with 22.1 points per game, but his role has been up-and-down since Herro's return, even featuring Powell seeing himself on the bench for a few outings.

Though Spoelstra and Miami want to see both Herro and Powell play on the floor together, the amount of time both have been healthy at the same time has been limited. Still, the illness wasn't one he could power through, describing how it felt “like I got hit by a semi-truck.”

“Don’t want to rush it and get a soft tissue injury if my body is not ready,” Powell said after Friday's practice, via the team's social media page. “I’m going to take the next couple of days to get back in playing shape and get the rust off. Long week of being sick, out of it, fatigue, body aches, not being able to move [or get] out of bed. I feel like I got hit by a semi-truck.”

“You can hear I’m congested. It feels good to be back in here and try to get back as soon as possible,” Powell continued. “Don’t want to rush it and get a soft tissue injury if the body is not ready. I’m going to take the next couple of days to get back in playing shape and get the rust off.”

At any rate, Powell's next chance to return after Saturday against the Wizards comes next Tuesday, when the Heat travel to take on the Toronto Raptors.