Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - December 13th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Miami Heat at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on December 13th.
The Miami Heat will head into this game on the back of a 118-92 win against the Chicago Bulls, helping them build a two-game winning streak.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are also coming off a 117-103 win against the Sacramento Kings to improve their streak to three games.
Miami Heat Injury Report
The Miami Heat have struggled with injuries all season long. Their woes will only continue as they embark on a four-game road trip.
The side will be missing two key starters from their lineup as Jimmy Butler returns to the injury report with a tailbone contusion. The same injury had seen Butler miss a few games in the month of November as well.
Bam Adebayo will also be out due to surgery recovery on his thumb. He will be out indefinitely for the side. Markieff Morris will continue to be sidelined in order to recover from neck whiplash.
Caleb Martin will feature on the injury report under health and safety protocols. He may be out for an extended period of time.
Victor Oladipo also continues to be on the injury report. Although he joins the team on the road trip, Oladipo will not suit up for the Miami Heat just yet.
Not traveling for Heat:
Jimmy Butler (tailbone)
Bam Adebayo (thumb)
Markieff Morris (neck)
Caleb Martin (protocols)
Victor Oladipo (knee) is traveling, but just to acclimate to the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report
The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled with major injuries earlier in the season. Seeing as many as four starters out of the rotation at one point, the Cavaliers will now enjoy a healthy roster.
The only name on the injury report for the Cleveland Cavaliers will be Collin Sexton. Sexton suffered a meniscus tear early in the month of November. Although he is recovering from the injury, he is not expected to return to action this season.
Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineups
Miami Heat
Injuries to key players in the Miami Heat have forced a number of roster adjustments. With both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo out of the rotation, the hole left in the frontcourt is massive.
The changes have seen Duncan Robinson and Dewayne Dedmon fill in at small forward and center respectively. With Robinson moving out of the shooting guard spot, the Heat have the option of starting either Gabe Vincent or Tyler Herro depending upon matchups.
Just like Spo drew it up. Tyler's 1stQ buzzer beater marked the 2nd consecutive game Miami hit 9+ 3s in a single quarter. Ridiculous.
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Kyle Lowry will continue in the starting point guard spot while PJ Tucker starts at power forward.
The bench rotation can be a bit of a concern considering Caleb Martin is also out of the rotation. This could mean greater minutes for Max Strus and Marcus Garrett. Omer Yurtseven could also see some minutes as he is the only big-man on the bench, however, the Heat tend to play small-ball so this may not happen.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a very well established rotation at this point in the season. Featuring a backcourt pairing of Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro, the Cavaliers also see Ricky Rubio come off the bench to support Garland on the playmaking front.
The Cavaliers' frontcourt trio have been a big part of their success this season. With a healthy frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Cleveland Cavaliers' size can be overwhelming to most teams.
With Kevin Love coming off the bench to fill in at the frontcourt, the Cavaliers' overall 8-9 man rotation also includes other players such as Cedi Osmand.
Although the side has more pieces at their disposal, they tend to run with a smaller rotation for heavier minutes. The potential development of these players makes the Cleveland Cavaliers an exciting team to follow
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Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Starting 5’s
Miami Heat
G - Kyle Lowry | G - Gabe Vincent | F - Duncan Robinson | F - PJ Tucker | C - Dewayne Dedmon
Cleveland Cavaliers
G - Darius Garland | G - Isaac Okoro | F - Lauri Markkanen | F - Evan Mobley | C - Jarrett Allen