The Miami Heat are getting a big boost to their lineup with just four games remaining in the regular season.
Heat guard Norman Powell, who has missed the team’s last four games with an illness, is returning on Tuesday, April 7, for the Heat’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
“Powell is ready to play in Toronto tomorrow,” Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweeted on Monday.
The first-time All-Star has had trouble staying healthy for parts of the season, playing in 55 of 78 games.
Powell is the Heat’s leading scorer, averaging a career-high 22.1 points per game, along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
The Heat are 0-2 against the Raptors this season, losing both games at home by double digits. However, the Raptors have lost three of their last four games, making this homestand against the Heat majorly important for both teams.
The Miami Heat Need to be at Full-Strength for the end of the Regular Season
GettyThe Miami Heat are two games out of the sixth seed with four games left to play in the regular season.
The Heat are tenth in the Eastern Conference and likely need to win all four of their remaining games for a chance to avoid the play-in tournament.
Toronto is the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and two games ahead of the Heat in the standings. Miami will play two consecutive games against the Raptors, giving them a chance to catch them in a playoff push.
According to NBA Communications, the Heat have a 2.2% chance to finish as the sixth seed and a 0.3% chance to finish as the fifth seed.
Barring a miracle, the Heat will return to the play-in for the fourth consecutive season.
“The season is full of ups and downs,” he said. “We started really hot. Things happen, injuries happen. We never really had a full, healthy squad for a long period of time. It happens. It’s the NBA,” Heat forward Andrew Wiggins told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Other Miami Heat Injury News
GettyMiami Heat forward Nikola Jovic is on the injury report with an ankle injury, but he is the only Heat player who didn’t practice on Monday.
The Miami Heat are almost completely healthy as they round into the playoffs. With Norman Powell returning from illness, the Heat are nearing full strength.
Powell returned to practice today, meaning the only players who didn’t practice are guard Terry Rozier and forward Nikola Jovic, who is battling an ankle injury.
Heat forward and Sixth Man of the Year Award candidate Jaime Jaquez Jr. was away from the team, watching his sister Gabriela Jaquez win the NCAA women’s National Championship in Phoenix, but returned on Monday.
If Jovic can suit up, it will be the first game since March 27 that the Heat will be fully healthy.
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