The Miami Heat will be facing the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In Tournament, and they recently got some injury updates that should bode well for the team. Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love, and Pelle Larsson were all upgraded to questionable on the injury report ahead of the game, and there's a good chance they could all be ready to go.
Jovic and Larsson both practiced with the team the day before their game against the Bulls, but were not full participants.
The last time Jovic played in a game was on Feb. 23 after fracturing a metacarpal in his right hand. The last time Larsson played was on April 7, as he sprained his ankle lifting weights ahead of their game against the Bulls two days later.
For Love, he's missed the last few games because of personal reasons.
All three players have played an important part on the team at some point during the season, and having them on the court will be good, as this is a win-or-go-home situation. The Heat ended the season strong, and the hope is that they can carry that momentum into the Play-In game.
Article Continues BelowHeat getting healthy for play-in matchup
Jovic has not played in a while for the Heat, and was starting for the team before getting injured. He can shoot the ball and put the ball on the floor, and him being upgraded to questionable is a big sign of progress for the forward. Head coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Jovic and his injury progress.
“He's made a ton of progress,” Spoelstra said via Zach Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “You know one thing he's been able to do all along is work out, you know, do a lot of lifting and conditioning, everything that was allowed to do with his hand, he was able to do it. So, he looks great, his body fat is great, his conditioning level for not playing in a game is, really, at a high level, and then the last two, three weeks he's been able to do considerable player development.”
The last time these two teams faced off, the Bulls ended up walking away with the win. Both teams have experience in the Play-In, and this will be the third straight season they face each other in the tournament. The Heat have won both matchups, and they'll be looking to make it three in a row so they can move on to the next game.