ATLANTA – Miami Heat protection point Kyle Lowry injured his left hamstring in the third inning of the Hawks’ 111-110 Round 3 win on Friday night.
He could only watch from the bench as Atlanta, the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed, erased a double-digit deficit to draw 2-1 against first seed Heat in the first leg playoffs. 7th best. .
“I’m so angry,” Lowry told ESPN as he walked out of the State Farm Arena after the game with a noticeable limp.
Lowry told ESPN that he plans to undergo round-the-clock treatment leading up to Sunday’s Game 4. When asked if the injury could cause him to miss any time as the series goes on, he was negate all worries.
“No, I’m Wolverine,” Lowry said with a wry smile, referring to the X-Men comic book character known for his superhuman healing powers.
Lowry left the game with 1:59 left in the third inning and the Heat led by 13 points. He didn’t come back.
The Hawks finished the inning 6-1 and then overcame Miami 34-25 in the fourth round to close things off with a three-guard formation. Trae Young (10 of his 24 points in the fourth inning), Bogdan Bogdanovic (nine of his 18 points in the fourth inning) and Delon Wright (five of his 13 points in the fourth).
“All I know right now is the hamstring,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game when asked about Lowry. “But I don’t know how serious it is and we’ll find out more tomorrow.”
Lowry had just six points from 2 to 7 and five assists in game 3, but scored the team’s best plus or minus 18 in his 23 minutes on the field.
The Heat had 25 assists on their first 31 baskets in the first three quarters (80.6%) but assisted only five of the 10 goals in the fourth half as Lowry was out as the offense was at Miami turns to some long jumps.
“I know we love that guy as a defender of our opinion,” says Jimmy Butler, who had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists but missed the chance to win 3 in the game. “If he’s coming with us, buddy.
“It’s very, very difficult to do. But we have enough in that dressing room to try to bring to the table what Kyle does. He’s going to get treatment and we’ll see where he is.”
