The Miami Heat's sudden lack of depth in the middle left them with Jordan Mickey as their starting center Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Hassan Whiteside missed his ninth consecutive game with a strained left hip flexor. Bam Adebayo was out with a sprained left ankle sustained in Sunday's overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
That left Kelly Olynyk as the Heat's only available true center, with Mickey shifted from power forward to start alongside James Johnson, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson.
Adebayo had started the previous eight games in place of Whiteside.
It was the first time that Adebayo had missed a game during his rookie season due to injury, having previously missed the March 3 victory over the Detroit Pistons due to a family funeral and having been held out of nine games early in the season due to "coach's decision."
Adebayo said he was injured during Sunday's third quarter.
"After I blocked one of Victor [Oladipo]'s shots and landed on his foot, and it just went downhill from there," he said. "But I'm getting treatment and hopefully I'll be back by next game."
He said he then played through the pain.
"My team needed me," he said. "I can't disappoint my team. I had to tie my shoes tighter and just fight through the pain."
Now he is fighting through treatment.
"I'm doing it like breakfast, lunch and dinner," the first-round pick out of Kentucky said, "just keeping on that cycle and just keeping my workouts up and getting some ankle strength and mobility."
The Heat next play Thursday against Chicago Bulls in the second game of this four-game homestand.
"It's day-to-day," Adebayo said. "You know, I'm not the type of person to sit out long. So I feel like my body heals faster than most people. So I feel like I’m going to come back sooner than expected."
After the Cleveland game the Heat have seven games remaining in their regular season, with the playoffs to open the weekend of April 14-15.
Whiteside initially injured his hip during the morning shootaround before the Heat's March 10 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards.
The Heat remain without guard Dion Waiters following his season-ending ankle surgery in January.
The Heat on Monday formally announced the recall of guard Derrick Walton Jr. from their G League affiliate, with guard Derrick Jones Jr. previously recalled.
Walton, Whiteside, Adebayo and Waiters were inactive Tuesday for the Heat.
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