Heat’s Bam Adebayo shares concerning claim on injury after loss to Nuggets

The Miami Heat were dealt a major blow Wednesday night as Bam Adebayo exited early with a left foot injury during a 122-112 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. Adebayo left the game with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter after appearing to injure his foot while stepping during a transition play, finishing with only two points and one rebound on 1-of-5 shooting in eight minutes of action. After the game, the 28-year-old gave an update, according to the team: “I felt a pain in my foot so I took it upon myself to check myself out and go see what happened…,” he said. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll get more tests tomorrow and see how it goes.” Without Adebayo, Miami’s limited frontcourt depth became apparent, as Kel’el Ware became the only viable center on the roster, with Keshad Johnson and Nikola Jovic providing minimal support. Precious Achiuwa, previously part of the rotation, is now with the Sacramento Kings, and Vlad Goldin remains in the G League. Deprived of Adebayo, the Heat were unable to keep up with Denver’s size advantage. Nikola Jokic dominated with a 33-point, 15-rebound, 16-assist triple-double in 37 minutes, shooting 12-of-18 from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. The Nuggets outrebounded Miami 61-38, including a staggering 21 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second-chance points, while the Heat managed just 44 points in the paint. Aaron Gordon added 24 points, contributing to Denver’s 68-44 superiority on the glass. By the midpoint of the third quarter, Jokic had achieved his triple-double, taking control of the contest. Miami’s scoring efforts were led by Norman Powell with 23 points on 5-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three, Andrew Wiggins with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who added 21 points off the bench on 9-of-14 shooting. Ware posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, along with four steals, but the Heat’s frontcourt lacked the presence to match the Nuggets’ size and physicality. The defeat dropped Miami to 4-4 on the season and 1-3 on a four-game road trip. Miami has yet to win a regular-season game in Denver since 2016. They return home Friday to face the Charlotte Hornets at 8:00 p.m. EST, beginning a stretch where they will play six of their next seven games at home, including a compact schedule of five games in seven nights.