Miami Heat-Charlotte Hornets Final Injury Update: Key player's status revealed

The Miami Heat announced that guard Dru Smith wil play in Friday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets after being listed as probable originally with an ankle soreness.

ANALYSIS

With Wiggins out of the picture against one of the league's hottest teams, the Heat will almost definitely resort to forward Myron Gardner, who has stepped up in place of others in the recent past.

Expect Gardner to play between 15-25 minutes, especially with Simone Fontecchio and Nikola Jovic, two other forwards who get inconsistent playing time, also being out. Whether or not Gardner, who has been in the starting lineup four times this season, will start again remains to be seen.

The other candidate, based on head coach Erik Spoelstra's tendencies in the past, would be Kel'el Ware, who just came off a historically productive game, (16 points, 11 rebounds, seven blocks and five steals).

Gardner might be the choice with Spoelstra often opting to insert someone currently out of the rotation into the starting lineup when guys are out. Also, the Hornets' lethal perimeter attack makes it tough to start Ware, even if Bam Adebayo can easily shift to guarding Miles Bridges.

The Hornets will likely be targeting Tyler Herro in the starting lineup as is, so adding Ware, who has had his issues defending on the perimeter, could be a risky move. On the other hand, however, Gardner could struggle to deal with Bridges' size and physicality if that's his matchup.

Don't be surprised if Pelle Larsson and Jaime Jaquez Jr., alongside Ware and Gardner, also get a bump in their minutes and usage with Wiggins and two other frontcourt players out.

Here's the rest of the injury report and game preview:

INJURY REPORT

HEAT

Andrew Wiggins: Out - Knee

Dru Smith: Available - Ankle

Norman Powell: Out - Groin

Simone Fontecchio: Out - Groin

Nikola Jovic: Out - Back

Keshad Johnson: Out - G League Assignment

Trevor Keels: Available - G League (Two-Way)

Jahmir Young: Out - G League (Two-Way)

Vlad Goldin: Out - G League (Two-Way)

Terry Rozier: Out - Not with team

HORNETS

Tidjane Salaun: Out - Calf

Antonio Reeves: Available - G League (Two-Way)

PJ Hall: Out - G League (Two-Way)

Tosan Evboumwan: Available - G League (Two-Way)

Game date, time and location: Friday, Mar. 6, 7:00 p.m. EST, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (Charlotte)

Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), 92.7 FM (Charlotte)

VITALS: The Miami Heat (34-29) and Charlotte Hornets (32-31) meet for the third and final regular season matchup. So far this season, Miami has won both previous matchups and has now won five of the last six overall against the Nets. It also marks the second of consecutive games against Brooklyn after Miami just recorded a, 124-98, win on Tuesday. The Heat are 84-61 all-time versus the Nets during the regular season, including 45-26 in home games and 39-35 in road games.

PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Davion Mitchell

G Tyler Herro

C Bam Adebayo

F Pelle Larsson

F Myron Gardner

HORNETS

G LaMelo Ball

G Brandon Miller

C Moussa Diabate

F Kon Knueppel

F Miles Bridges

Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Spread: Heat +5.5 (-105), Hornets -5.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Heat +188, Hornets -225

Total points scored: 230.5 (over -105, under -115)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call .

QUOTABLE

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Jaime Jaquez Jr. after their second consecutive win over the Brooklyn Nets: "We’re arguably at our best when Jaime plays well. I mean there’s a lot of different guys that can impact but when he’s our downhill guy and making things happen in the paint, we become a more dynamic offensive team.”

“Just really rugged and physical with his attacks and we need that. We don’t want to just play around the three point line."

For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.

Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket