ATLANTA — It is not what the Miami Heat needed to hear amid their roughest stretch of the season, but it is what coach Erik Spoelstra said is prudent.

So, for now, Spoelstra said getting center Bam Adebayo healthy is what has to be prioritized, with the Heat captain dealing with back pain and unavailable for Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks,

“I think if we handle it now, he’ll be fine,” Spoelstra said after Friday morning’s shootaround at State Farm Arena. “He’s pretty sore.”

Adebayo first surfaced on the Heat injury report on Thursday, with what is listed as lower-back pain, then downgraded to doubtful on Friday morning, before formally being ruled out two hours before tip-off.

For the Heat, it has remained an ongoing cycle of ailments and absences, including guard Tyler Herro missing Friday night’s game due to the toe contusion that now has had him out for eight games.

With the Heat entering against the Hawks with eight losses in their previous nine, guard Norman Powell said the focus can’t be on who isn’t in uniform.

“We can’t have an excuse that, ‘Oh, this guy’s out,’ ” Powell said Friday morning. “We are a talented team. We have enough depth to get the job done, no matter who’s in and out of the lineup.”

To that end, guard Pelle Larsson and forward Nikola Jovic were cleared Friday to return, formally listed as available two hours prior to game time.

Larsson had missed the previous five games with a sprained left ankle.

“I’m happy to be back,” he said, appreciative of Heat rehab director Jeff Ruiz for pushing him through.

Jovic missed the previous four games with an elbow contusion sustained in the Nov. 9 home loss to the Toronto Raptors.

“It still hurts, but it doesn’t that much,” Jovic said. “I can play. We’ve been struggling a little bit now, so I guess we need everybody.”

In addition, second-year forward Keshad Johnson was cleared from the illness that also had him on the injury report.

Powell said that any ambulatory bodies are welcome.

“Getting healthy is a key part of it, too,” he said of the recent rough patch, “having key guys that’ll help in execution on both sides of the ball.

“It’ll help us fill those voids. It’s always good to get them back.”

The Heat return from Atlanta with four of their next five at home, starting with Saturday night at Kaseya Center against the Indiana Pacers.

“Hopefully we can get healthy going into the turn of the new year and really start putting together how we want to play as a whole and start stacking these wins,” Powell said.

Go time

Spoelstra noted Friday the level of competition surrounding his team.

The Heat went into Friday at No. 8 in the East, just two games out of fifth place, but also just a half-game ahead of No. 10.

“There’s a bunch of teams, and that’s where you just have to continue to remind yourselves, you got to compete for it, everybody’s going for it,” he said, with the Hawks in that group, as well.

“It’s up to the teams that are trying to get confidence. There’s not much separation from where we are to several other teams.”

Spoelstra said it comes down to perseverance.

“We know the deal,” he said. “It’s about this competitive, collective will that we have to bring. It’s a dogfight. Nobody likes how we’ve done the last 10 games. But the majority of these were winnable. It’s a matter of collectively finding a way to get a win.

“Yes, we’re improving, and trying to improve certain aspects of our game. But that’s secondary to a collective will to find a way.”

Larsson said that has the Heat feeling introspective.

“I think it’s trusting each other,” he said. “We don’t want to be an average team, so we can’t be doing average things.

“To do that we really have to trust each other.”