A matter of weeks now for Heat with Richardson (dislocated shoulder), Rozier (knee sprain)
MILWAUKEE — Considering it could have been worse on both fronts, the Miami Heat seemingly dodged a pair of bullets with a pair of MRI’s Monday in the wake injuries sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center.
Guard Josh Richardson has been diagnosed with a dislocated right shoulder, to be re-evaluated in two weeks with the team still determining the timetable.
Later, an MRI on guard Terry Rozier, showed a minor sprain of his right knee, expected to be listed now as week-to-week.
Neither Richardson nor Rozier accompanied the Heat for the start of a two-game trip that opens Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
Richardson had been hopeful of a positive diagnosis.
“I felt my shoulder pop out on the floor and then pop back in laying on the ground,” he said. “So thank goodness for that.”
Richardson said there was nothing unusual about the bump with Boston’s Jayson Tatum while playing defense.
“A regular play, honestly,” he said. “I reached and JT was spun and like tried to pull the ball down at a weird angle. So it was just kind of like a freak accident.”
Factoring into the timetable for those two absences for the guards is the Heat’s upcoming eight-day All-Star break, with Wednesday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers the Heat’s last until a Feb. 23 game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the start of a four-game trip.
“You, more than anything, just feel for those guys. They’re competitors,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Richardson and Rozier. “They want to be out there. They’re trending in a much better direction.
“Josh was just starting to get healthy and really starting to get his legs under him and really starting to make an impact on both ends of the floor for us. Terry was getting a lot more comfortable.”
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The Heat acquired Rozier in a Jan. 23 trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick.
The Heat also will be without forward Jimmy Butler for this week’s two-game trip, with Butler mourning the weekend loss of a family member.
Butler also missed Sunday’s game, with Richardson lost in the first half and Rozier lost in the second half.
“Three of our key rotation guys go out, obviously not easy,” guard Tyler Herro said. “But the talk was just to rally around each other, keep our spirits up.”
Center Bam Adebayo said there is no option but to forge ahead.
“I mean stay solid,” he said. “Guys go out, ups and downs, stuff happens. But we’ve got to stay solid and work toward the goal.”
That now could be an ultimate challenge against two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
“I mean obviously there’s no excuses with this group,” guard Duncan Robinson said. “We’re always going to be, ‘We have enough. Next man up.’ Tough to see guys like that go down. And obviously Jimmy dealing with what he’s dealing with is unfortunate, to put it lightly.
“So it’s really just about just still trying to find a way to have a chance to win.”
Injury report
In addition to Richardson, Rozier and Butler being listed as out Tuesday, Robinson is listed as questionable with a sprained left elbow/shoulder.
Because of the injuries, forward Cole Swider and guard Alondes Williams, who both are on two-way contracts, have been recalled from the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Guard Dru Smith, out for the season following December knee surgery, is the only other player on the Heat injury report.
