Nikola Jovic is iffy for final stretch of Regular Season

By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net

Labeled as day-to-day over recent weeks, Nikola Jovic instead extended a streak of missing games to 25 on Wednesday.

Before a meeting with the Chicago Bulls in United Center, head coach Erik Spoelstra updated the status of the 21-year-old Serbian forward.

“He’s basically doing everything. It’s just whether his hand can take contact,” he said, staying shy of putting a specific date on his return to action.

Jovic traveled with the team to Chicago and will follow the team for a clash opposite the New Orleans Pelicans in Smoothie King Center on Friday. On the next edition of NBA Sundays, dedicated to the finale of the 2024-25 Regular Season, the Heat host the Washington Wizards in Kaseya Center.

After fracturing the second metacarpal of his right hand in late February, the promising youngster was ruled out for at least four weeks. Recovery has extended beyond the initial timeline. Over 46 earlier appearances, including ten starts, he averaged 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per contest.

At 36-44, the team guided by Coach Spo, a two-time NBA champion, is heading to the 2025 SoFi Play-In Tournament, aiming for an entry to the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google.

The Orlando Magic locked in the seventh seed of the Play-In Tournament, but the Heat, currently trailing the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls by one game, can rank between eighth and tenth, and eventually between seventh or eighth on the bracket of the Eastern Conference.

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