Kyle Lowry Ruled out for 76ers vs. Heat Game 5 with Hamstring Injury

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Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has been ruled out for Tuesday night’s Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a hamstring injury.

Lowry suffered a left hamstring strain in Game 3 of the Heat’s first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on April 22. He missed the remainder of that matchup plus the first two games of Miami’s second-round postseason series versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

After sitting four games, Lowry returned on May 6 for Game 3 against the 76ers and played 25 minutes. He has struggled shooting the ball since returning to the court, going 3-of-14 from the floor (0-of-8 from three-point range) in two games.

While Miami took a 2-0 lead with Lowry sidelined, Philadelphia evened the series by winning each of the past two games.

Lowry is a 16-year NBA veteran and six-time All-Star who won the 2018-19 NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. He left Toronto in free agency last offseason and signed a three-year, $90 million contract with Miami.

The 36-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds for the Heat this season, helping Miami earn a 53-29 record and the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Gabe Vincent has started with Lowry out. The three-year NBA veteran averaged 8.7 points and 3.1 assists in 23.4 minutes this year. He played in 68 regular-season games (27 starts).

Victor Oladipo should also see more playing time in Lowry’s absence. He only played in eight regular-season games this year after undergoing surgery to repair his right quadriceps tendon in May 2021.

The two-time All-Star has looked like his old self at times upon his return, notably dropping 23 points to help Miami close out the Hawks in its five-game first-round series win.

The Heat have a deep roster and can weather the storm with Lowry out, but Miami is simply a better team with him on the floor and could use him back as soon as possible.