Fresh off their miraculous run to the NBA Finals last season, the Miami Heat have started the 2023-24 season off slow with a 1-2 record. On Monday night, they will face yet another challenge when they play a rematch of their first-round playoff series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Heat big man Bam Adebayo has played in each of the team's first three games, but he currently finds himself on the injury report due to a left hip contusion. This has led to the question of: Is Bam Adebayo play tonight vs. the Bucks?

Bam Adebayo injury status vs. Bucks

Heat center Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo has been ruled out for tonight's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a left hip contusion.

The Heat went 44-38 last season and were able to win their way to the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference after an injury-riddled regular-season. Even with Tyler Herro suffering a broken hand in their first-round series against Milwaukee, the Heat were able to achieve the unthinkable, upsetting the Bucks in five games en route to a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals.

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Adebayo, who played in 75 total games last season, has always been a durable big man for Miami and hardily ever misses games. If he has bumps and bruises, he almost always takes the court. That will not be the case on Monday night, as the Heat will look to get their center some extra rest in what will be a physical battle.

This matchup against the Bucks is a very important game for the Heat, especially since there is a big difference between being 1-3 and 2-2 early on in the new season. While there is still time to recover should the Heat suffer another loss, defeating the Bucks and pushing them to a 1-2 record would surely help Miami find their footing.

The Heat have always found a lot of success playing against the Bucks and in their first-round playoff series against Milwaukee last season, Adebayo was fantastic. In these five games, Bam averaged 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. Adebayo also averaged 5.0 assists and 1.6 blocks per game against the Bucks.

Bam's next chance to take the court for Miami will be on Wednesday night when the team heads back to South Beach to take on the Brooklyn Nets.