MILWAUKEE – Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro broke his right hand late in the second quarter of his Eastern Conference team’s playoff opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Herro appeared to injure his hand diving for a loose ball.
“He’s not going to play the next game and then we’re just going to find out,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Miami’s 130-117 win over the top-seeded Bucks. “I received the same diagnosis you all heard. ”
Herro leaned forward and was obviously uncomfortable as he faced the heat bench in the last minute of the second quarter. The Heat announced the severity of Herro’s injury at half-time.
Herro had scored 12 points in the first half to help the eighth-seeded Heat gain a 68-55 lead over the top-seeded Bucks.
“You can’t fully understand what Tyler has been for our team all year, but the guys need to step up, including me, including Bam (Adebayo) and anyone that Spo asks to take an offensive assignment, a defensive assignment, bring “It’s like all hands are on deck at all times, now more than ever.”
This was the second serious injury in the opening game of this series. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a hard foul on a drive to the basket in the first quarter and was shut out early in the second period with a lower back bruise.
Herro was seen congratulating his teammates after the game when wearing a cast on the hand.
“The biggest thing is that he had a smile on his face and wasn’t discouraged about what happened to him,” Adebayo said. ___
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