Heat forward PJ Tucker is expecting to play Saturday in Game 3 despite dealing with a left knee contusion he suffered in Thursday’s Game 2 loss to the Celtics. Tucker played through the injury, but shot just 2-for-6 in 21 minutes of action.
#MIAvsBOS INJURY UPDATE: Coach Spo says both Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and P.J. Tucker (knee) will go through their routines with the intent to play in tonight’s Game 3 vs the Celtics.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 21, 2022
The presence of the defensive-minded Tucker would be crucial to Miami’s efforts to contain Celtics scoring forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who combined to score 48 points on Thursday. The Heat’s defense is stretched even thinner after the Game 2 returns of Marcus Smart (foot sprain) and Al Horford (Health & Safety Protocols).
In three playoff games prior to Game 2, Miami had outscored its opponents by 41 points over the 90 minutes the 37-year-old had played in that span.
