Bam Adebayo ruled out Thursday vs. Magic

Miami Heat C Bam Adebayo has been ruled out for Thursday’s game vs. the Orlando Magic due to a knee injury. The former All-Star center was ruled out for the game prior to the break on March 4. Bam will start the second half on the sideline for the Heat, who will need a big push in the stretch run to get back to the postseason. We could see Adebayo back in the lineup for the second end of a back-to-back Friday vs. the Chicago Bulls.

With Adebayo sidelined the last game before the break, the Heat started Kelly Olynyk at center and inserted rookie KZ Okpala into the starting lineup. He didn’t play starters minutes with Miami running smaller lineups featuring Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and Andre Iguodala. We could see something similar against the Magic, who have been ravaged by injuries and really only have size at center in Nikola Vucevic.

With Adebayo out, Kelly O and Jimmy Butler make for good tournament options once we get the slate prices on DraftKings. The Heat offense hasn’t really clicked much this season, so the Heat-Magic game may be a spot to fade with plenty of options Thursday night.