Jaime Jaquez hip the latest injury concern for Heat vs. Celtics
BOSTON – The Miami Heat are facing a potential call for the next man up for the next man up amid their injury-riddled ride through the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
Moved into the starting lineup in the wake of injuries to teammates Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler, first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. now is dealing with an issue of his own, sidelined from the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 102-88 loss to the Boston Celtics that put the Heat into a 3-1 hole in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference opening-round series.
A spark throughout the season, last June’s No. 18 pick out of UCLA was limited to 22:10 in Monday night’s loss, closing with nine points on 4-of-10 shooting, with two rebounds and two assists.
While coach Erik Spoelstra initially classified it as a leg injury, Jaquez clarified before the Heat turned their attention to Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. Game 5 at TD Garden.
“I just felt something, felt something give in the hip, and we’ll take it day by day as of now,” Jaquez said. “It was really just my hip, my right hip. I felt something give in the beginning in the third quarter going up for a rebound. I tried to get back in there, tried to give it everything I had.”
Jaquez said it is a new injury.
“This is something definitely a little new,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had an injury up here before, hurt up there. But like I said, day by day.”
With the awareness that the Heat season now stands as nothing other than day by day.
“This is when guys come together and get tighter as a group,” Jaquez said. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”
Jaquez appeared in a team-high 75 games during the regular season. He missed six games in January with a strained left groin, with the Heat going 1-5. He also missed the March 24 home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with discomfort in his left knee.
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In addition to Butler dealing with a sprained MCL in his right knee and Rozier with what the team is listing as neck spasms, guard Duncan Robinson also has been limited by a back issue listed as left facet syndrome. In addition, guard Josh Richardson has been out since midseason following season-ending shoulder surgery.
To forward Caleb Martin, it simply is a matter of further rallying around what is available.
“Nobody wants to be in this type of position,” Martin said. “But we got a lot of guys who have been fighting to even get to this point in their careers or whatever. So this isn’t the worst we’ve seen when it comes to this basketball stuff.
“At the end of the day, we’re getting to play one of the best teams in the East and we’re in the postseason while a lot of guys aren’t playing right now. So we don’t have a lot to complain about. We just need to go out and have fun and play, compete.”