Any debate over the most crucial player on the Miami Heat roster was settled early in the eighth game of the season when Bam Adebayo was sidelined due to a foot injury. The Heat struggled without him in a 122-112 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Adebayo left during the first quarter with a foot injury, severely limiting the Heat’s competitiveness. He stated,
“Obviously it was too much to play through, and then obviously you don’t want to do anything more to cause any more lingering effects.”
He added that an MRI was planned for Friday in Miami:
“I felt a pain in my foot so I took it upon myself to check myself out and go see what happened. We’ll get more tests tomorrow and see how it goes.”
Already lacking size, Miami relied heavily on Kel’el Ware, a slender 7-foot player, to defend the paint. However, the team was overwhelmed on the boards, contributing to their 4-4 season record.
Ware expressed hope about Adebayo’s recovery:
“Hope it’s nothing bad and he’ll be able to be back.”
Against the formidable presence of Nikola Jokic, who scored 33 points, supplied 16 assists, and grabbed 15 rebounds, the Heat suffered their 11th straight defeat to Denver. Jokic achieved his triple-double by the middle of the third quarter.
Author’s summary: Bam Adebayo’s early exit due to a foot injury exposed Miami’s weaknesses, leading to a tough loss against Denver and raising concerns about his recovery and the team’s size disadvantage.