Heat looks to continue winning ways on West Coast, but injury issues continue: ‘It’s a gauntlet’

The Miami Heat was home for Christmas, but the Heat won’t be home again for a few weeks.

That’s because the Heat’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas at Kaseya Center on Monday night marked the team’s final home game before embarking on a five-game West Coast trip that spans nine days. The Heat’s next game at Kaseya Center is on Jan. 8 against the Houston Rockets.

Between now and then, the Heat will go through its first West Coast trip of the season. The five-game trip includes matchups against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at Chase Center (10 p.m., Bally Sports Sun and NBA TV), Utah Jazz on Saturday at Delta Center, Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 3 at Crypto.com Arena, and Phoenix Suns on Jan. 5 at Footprint Center.

“I think the West Coast trip is a big trip for every team just because of how long the trip is, how long you spend time together,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said, with the team flying to San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon after a morning practice in Miami.

The Heat (18-12) enters the trip with some momentum, taking a three-game winning streak to the West Coast. Miami stands six games above .500 for the first time this season after opening the schedule with a 1-4 record, entering Wednesday with the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference.

“I feel good about it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about the long trip ahead. “We are what our record is right now and we are where we are in the East. That’s where we are. So yes, I do think going on the road is a good thing. It’s a gauntlet. We’re aware of the teams we’re playing. It always is a challenge on the road. And I love the environments and I love the way the road tests your team emotionally and physically.”

But the question is: Who will be available for the Heat on the trip amid the team’s ongoing injury issues?

The Heat’s injury report for Thursday’s game against the Warriors essentially includes half of the rotation. Martin (right ankle sprain) and Josh Richardson (low back discomfort) are listed as doubtful; Jimmy Butler (left calf strain), Duncan Robinson (left ankle sprain) and Kyle Lowry (soreness) are listed as questionable; and Dru Smith remains out with a season-ending knee injury.

The good news for the Heat is forward Hawyood Highsmith was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice after missing Monday’s win over the 76ers because of an illness. Highsmith is not on the injury report and said he expects to be available for Thursday’s matchup against the Warriors after battling “some type of flu.”

“I feel much better now,” Highsmith said. “Still trying to catch my wind. Get my breathing down and my chest down. Trying to get up and down, conditioning and stuff, but I feel much better. I think I lost some pounds from not eating and sweating a lot. But I’m good now.”

But Butler and Richardson, who also missed Monday’s game with their injuries, were partial participants in Wednesday’s practice.

Robinson and Lowry, who both took part in Wednesday’s practice, are new additions to the Heat’s injury report after playing against the 76ers on Monday.

Martin, who left Monday’s win early after spraining his right ankle in the first quarter, did not practice on Wednesday and his status for Thursday’s game and the rest of the West Coast trip is in question.

“I’m feeling a lot better than expected,” Martin said Wednesday. “... X-ray came back clean. So everything, for the most part, is good. Just being smart and taking it day by day. There’s some swelling and bruising, so just working with that.”

While their availability for Thursday’s game against the Warriors remain up in the air, Butler, Martin, Richardson, Robinson and Lowry all traveled with the Heat to San Francisco on Wednesday. The only Heat player who did not make the trip is Dru Smith, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Whether a chunk of the rotation is missing or not, the Heat has already proven it can still find ways to win if it’s missing players.

The Heat entered Wednesday with the fifth most missed games in the NBA this season due to injury at 91 games, according to Spotrac’s injury tracker. Among the five teams with the most missed games this season because of injury, the Heat owns the best record.

“This group, we’re not making any excuses for any guys being on and out,” Spoelstra said. “We understand what our identity is and what it takes to win and we’re working on our consistency to do it.”

While West Coast trips are never easy for teams from the East, only two of the five games on the trip come against teams currently with a winning record (the Lakers and Clippers). But the Warriors and Suns feature top-end talent such as Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Phoenix’s Devin Booker and Kevin Durant despite their underwhelming records up to this point.

The Heat holds a 5-8 record this season again teams that entered Wednesday with a winning record and a 13-4 record against teams with a losing record.

“This is one of those trips where we’re going to need one another,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “These are games that can go either way. They’re not guaranteed wins. But this is big time for guys to really come together, team camaraderie.”

After winning 17 of its last 25 games following a rough start to the season, the Heat hopes to continue taking steps forward as a team during the trip. Miami entered Wednesday with the 14th-ranked offensive rating and 13th-ranked defensive rating.

“I think what we understand a little bit more clearly is what our identity is and what we need to do to win basketball games while we’re trying to tighten up our game on both sides of the court,” Spoelstra said. “That’s not where we want it to be, but you still can find ways to win while you’re building continuity, while you’re dealing with lineup changes, guys in and out of the rotation. It’s a talent to be able to learn how to win despite circumstances. We’re getting a little bit better with that.”