Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Dwyane Wade might miss Warriors game with wrist injury

   Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade leaves the floor after a collision late in the first quarter of the Heat's NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, in Salt Lake City. Wade suffered a sprained right wrist in the collision but returned to the game.
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade leaves the floor after a collision late in the first quarter of the Heat's NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, in Salt Lake City. Wade suffered a sprained right wrist in the collision but returned to the game.

Dwyane Wade received extensive treatment for his sprained right wrist Tuesday and is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

An X-ray taken on Wade's wrist after Monday night's loss in Utah was negative, and the Heat did not hold a routine practice Tuesday in the Bay Area. Wade will be reevaluated after the Heat's shootaround Wednesday morning.

The Heat has lost two of its first three on its season-long, six-game western road swing that wraps after Wednesday with a back-to-back set at Houston and Oklahoma City.

Wade sustained the injury with 1:22 left in the first quarter when he lunged after a loose ball and ran into Jazz guard Sundiata Gaines near the free-throw line. Wade was taken to the locker room and missed seven minutes of game time before he returned in the second quarter.

Visibly affected by the injury, Wade scored a season-low 13 points in 29 minutes before his night ended in the third quarter of a 118-89 loss.

``He came back and his wrist was pretty sore, but he was able to play,'' coach Erik Spoelstra of Wade, held below 20 points for only the fifth time this season.

The Heat (18-18) would face an overwhelming challenge to replace Wade's averages of 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and five rebounds a game. The Warriors rank second in scoring at 107.3 points.

But Wade has played through similar pain in his wrist. He first sprained the same wrist on his shooting hand when he jammed the ball against the rim on a failed dunk attempt during a Dec. 11 home loss against Dallas. He was held out of practice the next day and said the injury affected his ability to handle the ball.

That was also the case Monday, when Wade attempted only seven shots, with none from three-point range, after he returned to the game.

``I wasn't going to force any shots,'' said Wade, who has not missed a game this season.

The Heat, which has lost six of its past eight games and had dipped to .500 for the first time in 13 months, doesn't have many productive options if Wade is limited or can't play.

Starting small forward Quentin Richardson has gone five games without scoring in double figures. Backup shooting guard Daequan Cook is mired in a season-long slump and is shooting just 28.7 percent from the field this season.

Cook entered Monday's game when Wade left but shot 3 of 10 and finished with eight points and two assists in 20 minutes. It was Cook's first action in four games.

Using Tuesday for rest and recovery might have been the best remedy for the Heat, which followed an impressive victory at Phoenix on Friday with consecutive double-digit losses on the trip.

``You have to keep perspective,'' Spoelstra said. ``It's not as bad as all of us feel right now, nor was it as good as we felt after the Phoenix game.''