MIAMI — A season that had become a waiting game will continue to be that way for Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, now sidelined by an elbow injury suffered in Monday night’s loss to the Toronto Raptors.
An MRI Tuesday showed only a contusion and laceration, with Jovic listed going forward as day to day.
The Heat also revealed a follow-up MRI on Tyler Herro’s right big toe, again showing only a contusion. Herro also is listed as day to day.
Herro has missed three of the last four games with the ailment, including Monday night’s loss.
As for Jovic, shuffled out of the mix after weeks of uneven play, Jovic had been held out of two of the three previous games by coach’s decision before finding an opening Monday created by the injury absences of Herro and Pelle Larsson (ankle sprain).
Twelve seconds after entering late in the first quarter, Jovic’s night was over, after being sent to the court on a drive to the rim by a hard foul from Toronto’s Collin Murray-Boyles.
Jovic remained on the court at Kaseya Center for several minutes before rising and being assisted to the locker room, with his right arm placed in a protective temporary cast. X-rays were negative.
“Hopefully, it looks like we dodged a bullet on that one,” coach Erik Spoelstra said immediately after the game. “He came down really hard, and split his elbow open. So it was bleeding. But the scan came back negative, which is a good thing. But that’ll be sore for a while. We’ll get an MRI tomorrow, just to make sure there wasn’t anything else that we saw.
“But the bones are fine. He lost all feeling in his hand because it was a massive stinger. But like I said, hopefully we dodged a bullet.”
It was the latest in a series of injuries that have marred the development of the 2022 first-round pick out of Serbia.
“Once you see guys start waving to the trainers to come get him, that’s when you start to worry that he’s really in bad shape. But Niko is a warrior. He got that tough Serbian blood in him,” center Bam Adebayo said.
Jovic walked off smiling, as if sensing a need to allay the crowd’s concern.
“So for him to smile, obviously, is a great sign,” Adebayo said. “He’s in great spirits, and we wish we could have got that win for him.”
In the moment, it was a frightening moment.
“It’s tough,” guard Norman Powell said. “I didn’t know what he hurt at first because it looked like it was his tailbone when he fell. And then going over there, seeing the puddle of blood coming from his arm, then you start thinking that he broke his arm. But luckily he didn’t.
“But I think being in good spirits about it, it’s always good. He’s always really positive to be around and things like that, no matter what he’s going through. So hopefully he can bounce back quickly and he gets some good news from the docs. And he’ll come back in a few weeks being able to help us.”
With Jovic sidelined, it opened playing time for seldom-used Keshad Johnson.
With Jovic fouled on the play and unable to shoot the free throws, the Raptors selected Johnson off the Heat bench to attempt the shots. He made both and stayed in the game, taking the minutes that otherwise would have gone to Jovic.
Prior to Monday night’s game, Spoelstra had hinted of another chance for Jovic.
“He’s been good the last three weeks,” Spoelstra said pregame. “He’s made some progress in focusing on what he can control — and that’s his work, that’s his approach, the consistency, everyday. Every player gets their opportunity at some point, and then you have to make the most of it, ideally, where you’ve improved, ideally, where you’re impacting the scoreboard. And I want you guys to have to make me make decisions. And that’s what I hope for Niko, that his play makes me have to play him more.”
And then Monday night’s fall.
But, through it all, spirits somehow still up.
“I couldn’t believe he was smiling,” Spoelstra said of Jovic’s Monday night walk to the locker room. “He was laughing when we all went up to him. I think that was his way of just lightening, he probably saw the look on all of our faces. It was a hard fall.”