With the Miami Heat gaining a big win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, the team looks to keep the winning ways going with a crucial Wednesday game against the Boston Celtics. As the Heat are involved in the chaos of the Eastern Conference in trying to avoid the play-in tournament, the latest injury report could pose trouble for the team.
Set to miss his third straight game is Norman Powell, once again missing action due to an illness listed in the “upper respiratory” area. There's no denying the impact Powell has had with Miami this season, earning his first All-Star honors as he leads the team by averaging 22.1 points per game on 47.3 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point range.
In total, now, Powell will miss his 22nd game of the season, and looking more closely, he'll be absent for the 11th contest in the last 17 outings.
The status of Heat's Andrew Wiggins, plus Norman Powell's impact
As Powell filled in the offensive void for Tyler Herro for the better part of the first half of the season, as Herro has missed a total of 48 contests, the opposite has been happening. Herro has been the main offensive weapon for the Heat alongside Bam Adebayo, especially proven in the win over the 76ers, recording 30 points.
Besides Powell, Andrew Wiggins is also on the injury report, but he is listed as “questionable” with what is listed as “Left Big Toe; Sesamoiditis.” This should be a familiar statement for fans as of recent, as Wiggins missed eight straight games with the same injury, having returned for the last five contests.
It remains to be seen if Wiggins will miss more time because of the toe ailment, but his absence would be missed as he's been a perfect two-way complement in the starting lineup to players like Adebayo, Herro, Powell, and Davion Mitchell. The same is said for Powell, as the next available time to return would be Saturday afternoon against the Washington Wizards, with the Heat at a 40-36 record, putting them ninth in the East.
