Heat again down four rotation players vs. Bulls; Butler in first back-to-back of season

The status quo remained the status woe for the Miami Heat, with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson ruled out of Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls.

MIAMI — The status quo remained the status woe for the Miami Heat, with Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith and Josh Richardson ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at Kaseya Center, leaving the Heat without four rotation players for a second consecutive night.

The absences of Adebayo, Herro and Highsmith have been ongoing, while there was a status change for Richardson.

After being ruled out of Wednesday night’s 115-104 home victory over the Charlotte Hornets due to a severe headache, Richardson, 30, was listed out for Thursday due to back spasms.

Otherwise, it is a waiting game that will continue until at least Saturday, when the Heat again host the Bulls, in the third game of the four-game homestand that concludes Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Herro has missed 17 consecutive games with the sprained right ankle sustained in the Nov. 8 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Adebayo has missed six consecutive games with a left-hip contusion, an injury sustained Oct. 28 that also has kept him out of three other games.

Highsmith has missed five consecutive games with a lower-back contusion, an injury that also has kept him out of one other game.

All three, who had been in the starting lineup at the time of their injuries, are progressing to the point that returns within the next week are possible.

In addition to those four, the Heat also are without guard Dru Smith for the balance of the season due to the knee injury sustained in the Nov. 22 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, with forward Nikola Jovic away from the Heat as he fulfills a two-game G League stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Not on the Heat injury report Thursday were forward Jimmy Butler and guard Kyle Lowry. For Butler, it makes the Hornets-Bulls back-to-back the first set he has been available on both nights. Lowry, 37, had previously been held out on the second night of a back-to-back set for rest.

The Heat do not have another back-to-back set until a Jan. 14 home game against the Hornets followed by a Jan. 15 road game against the Brooklyn Nets.

All hands on deck

With the roster shorthanded, second-year forward Jamal Cain and offseason free-agent acquisition Thomas Bryant both came up with unexpected contributions in Wednesday night’s victory, Cain with a season-high 14 points, Bryant with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Cain had made seven appearances this season for a total of 29 minutes prior to Wednesday, with Bryant having been held out of eight of the previous 13 games.

“They were able to fill in and play their roles and add,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s never easy in this league, for  any player, when you’re not necessarily consistently in the rotation, and then all of a sudden your number’s called, you’d better have done a lot of work to prepare and be ready for that opportunity. You see that slip away from so many players in this league, being frustrated that they’re out and then they’re not ready when their number is called. Then they play poorly, and then it’s done. Both these guys have prepared diligently.

“You’re really happy for Thomas, even in this kind of moment, because he hasn’t let any of that seep in and he just continues to work and he understands that there’s a lot of continuity with this group and he’s trying to fast-track to learn how we do things. And he’s been really diligent behind the scenes.”

Cain said he learned of his potential opportunity at the morning shootaround from assistant coach Caron Butler.

“Caron Butler just told me, ‘Yo, you going to have to be ready,'” Cain said. “I’ve been training for it and I’ve been practicing hard, just getting ready for this moment and it came.

“Last year I was still trying to figure it out. Now, since I got a year under my belt, I kind of know what’s expected of me, so I’m more comfortable on the floor.”