The Miami Heat will try to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday without their top scorer, as Norman Powell was forced to exit early with a groin injury.
Powell, who was a late addition to the injury report, finished with three points on 1-5 shooting, three rebounds and two assists.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the 32-year-old Powell was bothered by a groin injury before the game, but decided to recover anyway.
"Norman Powell (right groin strain) is treated for the rest of the night. He was questionable with a groin problem and tried to play through it, but his night was over after 11 minutes," Chiang wrote on the X.
The Heat will have to be more creative offensively to fill the void left by Powell, who is averaging 22.9 points on 47.5% shooting.
It would be a huge blow to Miami if Powell is sidelined for an extended period of time, especially as the playoffs approach.
Powell is having the best year of his career, earning his first nod to the All-Star Game and the Heat were right to sign him in the offseason. Many were confused as to why the Los Angeles Clippers let him walk after a breakout season.
If he remains out in the coming days, the Heat have enough depth to cover him. Tyler Herro's recent return from a rib injury was also timely.
At the time of writing, the Heat are trailing the 76ers by a slim margin in the fourth quarter.
