The Miami Heat hope to get a boost to their playoff hopes when Tyler Herro returns to the lineup, possibly as soon as Friday when they visit the Atlanta Hawks for their first game after the All-Star break.
Herro has missed 45 games because of assorted injuries — the first 17 with an offseason ankle injury, 13 more with a toe contusion and the past 15 due to rib injury. He returned to practice Thursday and pronounced himself ready.
“I feel just as good as last year, actually,” said Herro, who is listed as probable. “It’s been real, real frustrating. As a competitor, somebody who loves playing the game more than anything, that’s what I do. I love to the game of basketball, and it’s hard for me to just sit out and not be able to play.”
Herro has played only 11 games this season and is averaging 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. In 20 career games against Atlanta, he is averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
The Heat have gone 5-5 over their past 10 games and are No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, just 1 1/2 games out of avoiding the play-in tournament.
The Hawks returned to action on Thursday and defeated the host Philadelphia 76ers 117-107 to end a three-game losing streak. Atlanta is in ninth in the East and trails Miami by 2 1/2 games.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson picked up where he left off before the All-Star break, posting 32 points and 10 rebounds. CJ McCollum scored 23 off the bench.
“Wins don’t come easy,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I think the way that we played, we put in some time, and I thought our guys were focused. Maybe most important, when we got a little bit of a lead, we didn’t give it back. I thought we stayed connected. We didn’t do everything right, but we made plays.”
The Heat made a roster tweak over the break, moving undrafted rookie Myron Gardner from a two-way contract to a three-year standard contract. In 26 games with Miami, Gardner is averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds. He had a career-high 14 points and six rebounds against the Hawks in the teams’ latest meeting.
“He’s providing value right now,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He was given some opportunities because of injuries. Now he makes you raise your eyebrows and watch the film a little more closely, and that’s what you want … make me watch and make me play you and you do it with your actions. I like what he’s done. His energy is contagious. The guys like playing with him.”
Miami has a history of developing non-drafted free agents into key players. The list includes Udonis Haslem, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus.
Atlanta converted the contract of Caleb Houstan from a two-day contract to a standard contract on Thursday. He has appeared in 10 games this season and averaged 2.3 points.
The Friday contest will be the clubs’ third of four meetings. The Heat won 126-111 in Atlanta on Dec. 26, and the visiting Hawks prevailed 127-115 on Feb. 3. The teams conclude the regular season with an April 12 matchup in Miami.
