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The conference finals in the NBA will tip off this week as the Boston Celtics battle the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Dallas Mavericks battle the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. To no surprise, there are a few players dealing with injuries heading into these respective series.
The biggest concern for the Heat right now is the status of veteran point guard Kyle Lowry, who has been dealing with a hamstring throughout the postseason. He missed the final two games of Miami’s first-round series against Atlanta and appeared in just two games of its second-round series against Philadelphia. As of now, he is unlikely to be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart will be questionable for the Celtics in Game 1 with a foot sprain. The Defensive Player of the Year sustained the injury in Game 7 against the Bucks. Also for Boston, center Robert Williams III will be ready to go and won’t have any restrictions according to head coach Ime Udoka. “Time Lord” has been dealing with a nagging knee injury since March and has played limited minutes throughout the postseason. He missed the final four games of Boston’s second-round series against Milwaukee.
In the West, Golden State is still dealing with the absence of guard Gary Payton II, who was sidelined midway through the second-round series against Memphis with an elbow. Head coach Steve Kerr, who himself just cleared COVID-19 protocols, shared that he doesn’t expect the son of the Hall of Famer to be able to go in the conference finals. Meanwhile, Dallas’ core is relatively healthy and ready to go for the conference finals.
2022 NBA Playoffs, conference finals: Injury Report
Miami Heat
Kyle Lowry (hamstring) — Doubtful
Boston Celtics
Robert Williams III (knee) — Available
Marcus Smart (foot) - Questionable
Golden State Warriors
Gary Payton II (elbow) — Out
Otto Porter Jr. (foot) — Day-to-day
Andre Iguodala (neck) — Out
Dallas Mavericks
None