Point guard Kyle Lowry was ruled out of Sunday night’s Miami Heat playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena due to the hamstring strain sustained during the third quarter of Friday night’s loss.
Listed as questionable earlier in the day, Lowry’s status was changed 90 minutes before the 7 p.m. tipoff.
It is only the second game Lowry, 36, has missed due to injury since he joined the team on a three-year, $85 million free-agent contract in August, having sat out an Oct. 25 road loss to the Indiana Pacers due to an ankle sprain. His other absences had been due to personal reasons, rest or health-and-safety protocols.
The Heat went 12-7 in Lowry’s absence during the regular season.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said prudence took priority.
“You have to be smart about it,” he said. “The training staff determined that he wasn’t going to play tonight and we have everybody else available and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Asked if Lowry pushed to play, Spoelstra said, “You know Kyle.”
The Heat have termed Lowry’s status as day-to-day, with Game 5 of the best-of-seven opening-round Eastern Conference series at 7 p.m. Tuesday at FTX Arena.
Lowry did not participate in the Heat’s Saturday practice, with the team not holding a Sunday shootaround.
Spoelstra said going frequently without starters during the regular season primed the Heat for such moments.
“Your confidence as a group, everybody in the locker room, that even when situations are not perfectly ideal, and nothing is ideal in the playoffs, you like to have things that you trust that you’ve seen,” Spoelstra said. “And we’ve seen it.”
Lowry’s absence again cast third-year guard Gabe Vincent into a primary role.
“Gabe has been able to plug in and stabilize and also give us some really good two-way basketball,” Spoelstra said. “And we have full confidence that he’ll be able to fill in that gap and that position, in a different way. He’s not going to be Kyle.
“And then we’ll have to get some contributions from other guys. But we’ve proven as a group that we can still be functional and effective, even when different guys are out.”
The other players listed earlier in the day on the Heat injury report all were cleared to play: Bam Adebayo (left quadriceps contusion), Caleb Martin (left ankle sprain), P.J. Tucker (right calf strain) and Vincent (right big toe contusion).
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