Terry Rozier sidelined against Sixers, Heat announce

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier will be absent from Wednesday's play-in tournament matchup against the 76ers in Philadelphia, as announced by the team on Tuesday. Rozier has been sidelined with a neck injury since Miami's loss to the Indiana Pacers on April 7. Although he didn't travel to Philadelphia for the game, there's optimism that he could potentially return for a subsequent Play-In game or the first round of the playoffs.

The outcome of Wednesday's game will determine the next moves for both teams. The victor will travel to New York to kick off a first-round series against the Knicks on Saturday, while the defeated team will host either the Chicago Bulls or Atlanta Hawks in the eighth-place play-in game on Friday. The winner of this play-in matchup will then head to Boston to face the top-seeded Celtics in a series starting Sunday.

Terry Rozier, aged 30, joined Miami in a trade in January from the Charlotte Hornets, with veteran guard Kyle Lowry and a future first-round pick heading to Charlotte in exchange. Lowry, a Philadelphia native and Villanova alum, was subsequently bought out by Charlotte and signed with the 76ers for the remainder of the season.

Rozier has averaged 16.4 points and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 37.1% from beyond the arc in 31 appearances for the Heat this season.


In a positive development for Miami, guard Duncan Robinson is set to play on Wednesday after battling a back issue in recent weeks. Robinson, renowned for his elite 3-point shooting, missed the final four games of the regular season and played in just five of Miami's last 13 games.

On the Philadelphia side, Joel Embiid participated in Tuesday's practice session after sitting out Sunday's season finale against the Brooklyn Nets as a precaution. Sixers coach Nick Nurse expressed confidence that Embiid will be ready for action on Wednesday.

However, guard De'Anthony Melton missed practice due to an ongoing back problem, and Robert Covington is unlikely to feature for the rest of the season due to a knee bone bruise, according to Nurse.

Source ESPN : Heat rule Terry Rozier out vs. Sixers; Duncan Robinson to play
Source NBA : Terry Rozier (neck) out for Heat-Sixers Play-In matchup