Jovic (ankle) is available for Friday's matchup against the Thunder, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Jovic will suit up after missing Monday's loss to Detroit due to a left ankle sprain. The 21-year-old has been an inconsistent part of Miami's rotation of late, and he has logged three DNP-CD's over the Heat's last five outings.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Goes through practice Thursday
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Jovic (ankle) participated in Thursday's practice, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Jovic missed Miami's previous contest due to a left ankle sprain. However, Jovic's return to practice is a good sign of his availability for Friday's matchup with Oklahoma City.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Suffers ankle injury
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Jovic sprained his left ankle during Saturday's practice, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Jovic had completely fallen out of Miami's rotation before logging 24 minutes in the team's most recent outing. However, Jovic's ankle injury now puts his status for Monday's matchup with Detroit in doubt.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Efficient off bench Thursday
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Jovic accumulated 14 points (4-5 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 4-7 FT), four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 24 minutes during Thursday's 114-104 victory over Toronto.
Jovic lost his starting role in the frontcourt to Haywood Highsmith and hasn't started a game since Nov. 8. However, Jovic made his presence felt in this one and came just one point shy of tying his season-high scoring output in his return from an eight-game absence due to both injuries and DNP-CD tags. A strong showing like Thursday's is the best way to show he can remain valuable in Erik Spoelstra's rotation, but Jovic isn't going to have a lot of fantasy upside as a bench option with an inconsistent role.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Cleared to play Wednesday
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Jovic (ankle) will play Wednesday versus the Lakers, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Jovic returns from a two-game absence due to a left ankle sprain, but he wasn't included in the Miami rotation for the three games before he missed time with the injury. With Miami also clearing Jimmy Butler (knee) and Kevin Love (back) to play Wednesday, head coach Erik Spoelstra isn't expected to have room for Jovic in his rotation.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Upgraded to questionable
Rotowire
Jovic (ankle) has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday's game against the Lakers.
Jovic missed the past two games for Miami but has a shot at returning Wednesday. However, he hasn't been a consistent part of the rotation in recent outings.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Out again Wednesday
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Jovic (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Lakers, Tim Reynolds of Associated Press reports.
Jovic will miss a third straight game due to a left ankle sprain. His next chance to suit up will come Saturday versus Phoenix, but he'd fallen out of the rotation before his absence.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Out again Monday
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Jovic (ankle) won't play Monday against the Celtics.
Jovic will be sidelined for a second straight game, but this won't impact many fantasy leagues. After starting the first eight games of the season, Jovic fell out of the rotation at the end of November.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Will not play Sunday
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Jovic has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raptors due to a left ankle sprain, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
After seeing the court in the first 14 games of the season, Jovic was out of the rotation in each of the last three games in coach's decisions. Despite the lack of recent playing time, the young forward apparently sustained an ankle injury at some point recently and will now be unavailable Sunday for the first time all season. Sunday's game marks the front end of a back-to-back set for the Heat, who play again Monday in Boston.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Expected to play with mask
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The Heat are expecting a protective mask to arrive in time to allow Jovic (nose) to play in Friday's game versus the Pacers, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Jovic had to leave Tuesday's game versus the Pistons early due to a broken nose. However, it appears that Miami expects the 21-year-old big man to be able to suit up against Indiana.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Won't return Tuesday
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Jovic suffered a reduced septum during Tuesday's game against the Pistons and will not return.
The forward collided with Malik Beasley in the first quarter before heading back to the locker room, and the Heat have ruled him out for the remainder of the game due to the nose injury. With Jovic out, Jaime Jaquez, Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson are candidates for an increased role.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Season-best effort from second unit
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Jovic ended with 15 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal over 23 minutes off the bench during Sunday's 95-94 victory over the Timberwolves.
With Kevin Love finally ready to make his season debut and Jimmy Butler (ankle) sidelined, the Heat shook up their starting frontcourt, with Jovic shifting to the second unit for the first time in 2023-24 in favor of Love and Haywood Highsmith. Jovic stayed productive though, tying his season high in scoring and setting a new high in boards. It's not clear if the third-year big will move back into the starting five once Butler is healthy, but he's making a case to retain a significant role -- through the six games in which he's played at least 20 minutes, Jovic is averaging 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 threes.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Plays five minutes
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Jovic recorded four points (1-2 FG, 2-2 FT) and one rebound in five minutes during Wednesday's 115-112 loss to the Suns.
Jovic was part of the starting unit Wednesday, a status he's held in all seven appearances this season. However, he logged a season low in minutes and didn't retake the floor after being subbed out with 6:44 left in the first quarter. While it isn't abnormal for Jovic to handle fewer minutes than a typical starter -- he averaged just 21.5 minutes per game before the loss to Phoenix -- Wednesday's game marked a new low for the third-year forward. His unstable role makes him difficult to trust in most fantasy formats, and his minutes should be watched closely by fantasy managers moving forward.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Drops six dimes in win
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Jovic totaled 10 points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, six assists and two steals over 30 minutes during Saturday's 114-106 victory over Charlotte.
Jovic is off to a strong start as a full-time starter. Through two games, the third-year pro has totaled 25 points (10-22 FG), nine boards, seven dimes, three steals and one block. With Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez coming off the bench, Jovic faces stiff competition for playing time, but for now, he's locked into starter-level minutes. The potential returns of Kevin Love (personal) and Kel'el Ware (illness) soon could also mean slightly fewer minutes for Jovic moving forward.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Starts and scores 15 points
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Jovic finished with 15 points (7-15 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 0-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 24 minutes during Wednesday's 116-97 loss to the Magic.
Jovic started 38 of 46 regular-season games last season, and he seems to have a leg up on Jaime Jaquez as the first-unit option for the Heat. Jovic's fantasy value is still up in the air, but his spot in the rotation warrants some consideration, especially if he's available on the waiver wire.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Progressing in recovery
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The Heat announced Saturday that Jovic (ankle) is progressing in his rehab, and there is still a possibility he will be able to play in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Serbia, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Jovic suffered an ankle injury in June during an offseason workout. While initial reports stated that the 21-year-old big man was likely to miss the Olympics, he remains listed on Serbia's roster.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Decent output in playoff exit
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Jovic ended with eight points (3-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds and four assists over 28 minutes during Wednesday's 118-84 loss to the Celtics in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Jovic was forced to embrace a bigger role in the second half of the season and was a permanent fixture in the starting unit since mid-February. While he had some strong performances here and there, he lacked consistency on a game-to-game basis, and he was unable to become a reliable offensive alternative when the Heat needed him, especially in games where they were shorthanded. It remains to be seen if Jovic will remain a regular starter for the Heat next season. but it's worth noting he averaged 9.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game across 33 starts since the beginning of February, counting both the regular season and the playoffs.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Grabs eight rebounds in Game 3 loss
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Jovic logged 15 points (5-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal over 34 minutes during Saturday's 104-84 loss to Boston in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Jovic has been forced to play a prominent role for the Heat over the last few weeks, but he has been up to the task this postseason, scoring in double digits and grabbing at least six rebounds in his three appearances during the current series against Boston. Jovic should remain in the starting lineup for Game 4 on Monday. He's averaging 12.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the first three games of the series.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Continues solid play Friday
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Jovic accumulated 22 points (9-18 FG, 4-10 3Pt), five rebounds, two assists and one steal over 27 minutes during Friday's 125-103 win over the Raptors.
Jovic bounced back from a subpar outing against the Mavericks on Wednesday, and he surpassed the 15-point mark for the third time across his last four outings. Jovic has been a regular starter for Miami in the last few weeks, and he has been up to the challenge, averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game since the All-Star break. He's also scored in double digits in six of his last 10 appearances.
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Heat's Nikola Jovic: Likely to play Tuesday
Rotowire
Jovic is probable for Tuesday's game against the Hawks with a right ankle sprain.
Jovic was previously dealing with a minor knee issue, but now it's his right ankle that's bothering him. He's expected to play, however, and he's averaged 22.4 minutes per game over his last 10 appearances.
