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UPDATE: Sept. 8, 5:03 p.m. ET — So Herro and Crowder are both expected to play in Game 5 vs. the Bucks, which is good news for Miami. There’s no reason at this point to think they’ll be held back at all. Both are in the crunch time lineups and have been shooting the ball well from outside. We don’t get the type of value we were looking for in Duncan Robinson or some of the value plays as a result. I’d also start looking at the Heat on the spread now that we know they’ll be 100%.
Miami Heat F Jae Crowder and G Tyler Herro are both questionable to play in Game 5 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Crowder is dealing with an ankle injury and Herro has a hip issue after the Game 4 OT loss. Kelly Olynyk is also being listed as questionable due to a knee injury. On the other side, Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle) is questionable for the Bucks.
The Heat were unable to take advantage of the injury to Antetokounmpo in Game 4, losing 118-115 in OT. Giannis left in the second quarter after playing 11 minutes and was unable to return. Milwaukee kept things close and Miami really struggled down the stretch on offense. Herro and Crowder were possibly the two players keeping the Heat in the game. Herro hit multiple 3-pointers late in the game to give the Heat a shot at winning. He’s played huge minutes off the bench, while Crowder has been a staple in the starting five. If either player is out, it would be a huge blow.
With that said, Miami has some depth to withstand it. Kendrick Nunn and Derrick Jones Jr. haven’t played much all series. If Herro were out, Nunn likely sees more playing time off the bench. Duncan Robinson would be the biggest benefactor. He starts but isn’t generally used in crunch time. Robinson likely picks up those big minutes in place of Herro or Crowder really.
This makes that 3.5-point spread a little more interesting. We know Giannis is questionable but it seems like he’ll be OK to play by Tuesday. If Herro and/or Crowder is ruled out, the Heat are in a tougher spot while the Bucks have some momentum in the series despite being down 3-1. Kelly O’s status doesn’t mean much, he hasn’t been playing enough this series.