Miami remains cautious with Kyle Lowry

Toronto fans weren’t lucky enough to see Kyle Lowry make it past 25 minutes on Tuesday night when the Miami point guard returned “home” to Scotiabank Arena. Even if it has now been three weeks since he resumed competition after more than a month off due to recurring knee pain, the case of the veteran leader is still being followed closely by the Florida medical staff.

The latter has therefore decided to limit his playing time as a precaution. Always used off the bench since his return, the player who celebrated his 37th birthday this weekend is trying to get used to it.

“It was my iron will that kind of got me into the situation I’m in now. So I have to be smart in this case in keeping with the franchise. I think we’ve been on the same page with everything I’ve done, coming off the bench, minutes, timing and everything, making sure I’m available and able to be myself when I come into play”he said, adding that the recommendations came from the staff and not from him.

No more than 25 minutes per game and no back-to-back

As such, even if he did not overwork himself yesterday in Toronto, Kyle Lowry should be spared this evening when the Heat are expected at Madison Square Garden in “back-to-back” to face the Knicks. A meeting that could be decisive in the race for the Top 6 in the Eastern Conference.

“It’s always part of the plan”explained Erik Spoelstra. “We haven’t made a decision yet. It is very important to us. We need the experience of a veteran to get through this period”.

There will indeed remain a “back-to-back” to manage for Miami, which will have to make two trips to Philadelphia and then Washington next week. To see if the medical staff will have lifted the restrictions concerning him by then, the priority being that he is in top form when the “postseason” begins.

Since his return, apart from the first game in Orlando which ended in overtime, Kyle Lowry has not exceeded 25 minutes of playing time in a game.

Beyond the fact that he must regain his feelings, which he had rather succeeded in until the night’s match, he is also relearning to take on the role of the person who comes off the bench and must have an immediate impact.

“For me, it’s just about continuing to try to improve. I’m in a different role and I’m still limited in terms of minutes. So it’s about making myself available to play the minutes allocated to me, making sure that I’m in good health and that I can be effective”.