Kyle Lowry enters health and safety protocols

The Miami Heat have placed Kyle Lowry in the league’s health and safety protocols, ruling him out for Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic. If Lowry is vaccinated, he can return to the floor after delivering two negative tests 24 hours apart.

This is a bad development for the Heat, who are already without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. With Lowry in protocols, look for Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro to take on additional responsibilities with the ball. The latter is more skilled in that regard and should be able to lead Miami’s offense. Gabe Vincent could also see some run and become a value play in DFS formats.

Lowry, the team’s big acquisition in the offseason, has been great this season. He’s averaging 13.9 points and 8.2 assists per game while solidifying Miami’s defense at the point of attack. The Heat looked like true title contenders early in the season before injuries started to pile up.