Kyle Lowry Admits Hamstring Injury has Affected Play vs. Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat have both dealt with their fair share of setbacks throughout their second-round series.
When the first two games in Miami tipped off last week, the Sixers missed their superstar center Joel Embiid as he battled a mild concussion and an orbital fracture.
Meanwhile, the Heat missed their starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who's been dealing with a hamstring strain throughout the playoffs.
During Miami's first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, Lowry missed the final two matchups of the series as the Heat cruised past the Hawks and into the second round.
When the Sixers and the Heat met for Games 1 and 2, Lowry remained off the floor as he couldn't get cleared for action.
Fortunately for the Heat, Lowry's absence didn't affect them too much initially. Despite rolling without the veteran All-Star, Miami managed to get a 2-0 lead in the series over the Sixers.
When Game 3 rolled around, Lowry was upgraded to questionable. After going through his pregame warmups, the veteran star was cleared for action and appeared on the court for 25 minutes. During that time, Lowry struggled as he scored zero points off of four shots.
The Heat weren't worried about Lowry's Game 3 struggles as they understand he's been out of the mix for a couple of weeks. Therefore, rust was expected. However, Lowry couldn't turn things around in Game 4.
During his 30-minute shift on Sunday night, Lowry chucked up ten shots from the field. Just three of his field-goal attempts were successful. Following his disappointing six-point performance against the Sixers in Game 4, Lowry revealed that he's still battling the hamstring strain despite returning to the floor and playing.
"Put it this way: you don’t want to play with it," said Lowry when asked about how his recent setback has affected him on the court. While Lowry knows his health isn't at one hundred percent, the star guard is still doing all he can to help his team.
"We’re in a situation where you’re in the playoffs, where you’re in a hostile environment," Lowry continued. "We’re in this together no matter what. I’m just trying to be out there for my guys no matter what happens. No matter what the situation is."
Lowry's status for Game 5 has been downgraded from questionable to out. Clearly, the star guard is far from one-hundred percent as he'll miss his third outing of the series.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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