Miami Heat All-Star guard Norman Powell will be out for multiple weeks after suffering a groin strain during Thursday’s game against Philadelphia. The 32-year-old guard, who leads the team in scoring this season, will miss at least four games while recovering from the Grade 1 strain.
Miami Heat All-Star guard Norman Powell faces a multi-week absence after sustaining a right groin strain, team officials confirmed on Friday.
The injury occurred during the second quarter of Thursday evening’s 124-117 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. Powell managed just three points and three rebounds across 10 minutes of play before leaving the contest.
Prior to Thursday’s matchup, Powell had been marked as questionable due to the same groin concern. Friday’s MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain, with the Heat designating him as week-to-week for recovery purposes.
The 32-year-old veteran will be absent for a minimum of four contests before team medical staff reassesses his condition.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra explained to media members that team doctors had given Powell medical clearance before the Philadelphia game.
“It was that one slide against (Tyrese) Maxey and he overextended it,” Spoelstra explained. “So that’s the same one that he’s been dealing with.”
In his debut campaign with Miami, Powell tops the team’s scoring charts with 22.5 points per game. His previous career-best season average was 21.8 points across 60 contests with the Los Angeles Clippers last year.
Throughout his professional career spanning 666 games (308 as a starter), Powell maintains a 13.9-point average across stints with Toronto (2015-21), Portland (2021-22), the Clippers (2022-25), and Miami. He has connected on 1,198 three-point shots at an impressive 39.7% clip.
Additionally, the Heat announced that forward Nikola Jovic will sit out Saturday’s home matchup against Houston due to a back injury.