The Miami Heat visit the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, December 26, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena. Both teams enter the Eastern Conference matchup looking to halt losing streaks while navigating extensive injury reports.
Miami comes in at 15-15 and has dropped three straight games. The Heat are coming off a 112-91 loss in Toronto on December 23 after surrendering 125 points to New York two nights earlier.
Atlanta sits at 15-16 and is riding a four-game losing streak. The Hawks lost back-to-back high-scoring games to Chicago, including a 152-150 defeat on December 21 and a 126-123 loss on December 23.
The Heat’s injury report centers on Bam Adebayo, who is listed as questionable with lower back soreness. His status is critical, as he averages 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds while anchoring Miami’s interior defense.
Tyler Herro is ruled out with a right big toe contusion, removing a 23.2-point-per-game scorer from the rotation. Terry Rozier remains out and is listed as not with the team.
Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson are both probable, while Keshad Johnson is questionable due to a head illness. Several rotation players, including Jaime Jaquez Jr., Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell, are listed as available despite recent minor issues.
Without Herro, Miami has leaned more heavily on Norman Powell, who leads the team at 23.7 points per game. Jaquez continues to provide secondary playmaking, while Kel’el Ware averages 10.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.
MORE FOR YOU
Atlanta’s injury report features several frontcourt concerns. Kristaps Porzingis is out due to illness, removing a 19.2-point scorer who also stretches the floor at the five position.
N’Faly Dante remains out after suffering a torn ACL, while Mouhamed Gueye and Caleb Houstan are both listed as questionable. Nikola Djurisic and Malik Williams are also questionable due to G League-related designations.
Trae Young is expected to play and continues to lead Atlanta’s offense with 9.1 assists per game. Jalen Johnson has been the Hawks’ most productive player overall, averaging 23.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.
