MIAMI - The Miami Heat are trying to make a playoff run with 20 games left in the season, entering Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, the team is once again dealing with injury problems. It may sound strange to fans, but it's true that the Heat are aiming to avoid the play-in tournament this season, as head coach Erik Spoelstra talked about his approach to injuries.
As mentioned, Miami has battled a myriad of injuries over the past several seasons, leading to endlessly different starting lineups and rotations, which can lead to endless frustration and an inability to properly evaluate the quality of a team.
Given the current situation, the team's leading scorer, Norman Powell, suffered a groin sprain and has been labeled "week-to-week", having already missed the last two games without a schedule. Nikola Jovic continues to miss time with a back injury and Simone Fontecchio was forced off the field late on Thursday with a groin injury, adding to the problems.
Especially with Tyler Herro getting back into rhythm after missing a total of 45 games this season, Spoelstra will talk about the approach of "going for it" but also being "responsible" with health.
"We're going for it. So I know this time of year, everybody is dealing with something," Spoelstra said. “We want to be responsible, that was the case with Norm and Simo [Fontecchio]And hopefully, if you get things going early and you really attack it with rehab, it might be short term, but then there will be other cases that we just have to go for it and play big minutes for our main guys, I'm starting to do that anyway.
The Heat have been dealing with injuries and balancing them at this point in the season: Erik Spoelstra #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/lVIfpUboI8
- Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 5 March 2026
Erik Spoelstra on the pressure the Heat are facing in the tight East
As Herro finds the Heat star taking on an even bigger role without Powell, injuries have gotten in the way of the two being on the same court together and working on their chemistry. The two have only played 12 games together this season, making it a small sample size for their production together, but with the mystery of when Powell's groin injury will heal, Miami will have to make do.
Entering Thursday's game against the Nets, the Heat were one game behind the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, the spot they needed to finish at least to avoid the play-in tournament. However, with only two and a half games separating the sixth and 11th seeds in the East, anything can happen, with Miami on fire due to the pressure.
“I love the pressure for this group,” Spoelstra said. "I think we really need that pressure to get into second gear. And there's going to be a lot of pressure in these games. There's going to be a lot of clutch games, close games, a lot of emotions in these games, you know."
Spoelstra added, "I know we have a lot of competitors in our locker room, and I'm counting on us to bring out a better version of ourselves." "We have everything we need. We've got a high-powered offense, we've got a very good defense, defensively as good as anybody in the league. But we need to put it together, especially in moments of truth."
Erik Spoelstra talks about the frustrations and pressure the Heat faces from being a consistent play-calling team. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/2q5YEXqgAo
- Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 4 March 2026
At any rate, after Thursday's outing against Brooklyn, the eighth-seeded Heat have to play a crucial game against the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets, separated by a game and a half.
