Who will be out for Heat on Sunday vs. Hornets? Also, a look back at Caleb Martin’s return

The Miami Heat has needed to overcome injuries for most of the season and it appears the Heat will need to do so again on Sunday.

Four rotation regulars are on the Heat’s injury report for Sunday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at Kaseya Center (6 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).

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Jimmy Butler (right toe MP joint sprain) is listed as doubtful.

Tyler Herro (right shoulder strain) and Kevin Love (left knee contusion) are listed as questionable.

Kyle Lowry (left hand sprain) is listed as probable.

Butler has missed the last six games and Lowry has missed the last two games with their respective injuries.

While Lowry’s return on Sunday seems likely, Butler’s return will probably have to wait. The hope is he’ll be able to play in Monday’s road game against the Brooklyn Nets on the second night of the home-and-road back-to-back set.

Herro has sat out one game since hurting his shoulder in Wednesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But Love is a new addition to the injury report after recording five points and three rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench in Friday night’s 99-96 home win over the Orlando Magic.

In addition, the Heat ruled out Dru Smith (right knee surgery), RJ Hampton (G League), Cole Swider (G League) and Jamal Cain (G League) for Sunday’s contest.

The struggling Hornets, which has dropped 15 of their last 16 games, will also be short-handed.

Charlotte ruled out Gordon Haywood (left calf) and Mark Williams (lower back) for Sunday’s game in Miami. Also, Brandon Williams (lower back) and PJ Washington (right foot) are doubtful, while Cody Martin (groin) and Frank Ntilikina (left tibia) are questionable.

The Heat has been one of the most injured teams in the NBA this season, entering Saturday with the fourth-most missed games in the league this season due to injury at 128 games, according to Spotrac’s tracker. Miami is the only team among the top five on that list with a winning record, as the others in that group are the Memphis Grizzlies, Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers.

Those injury issues have led the Heat to use 21 different starting lineups in the first 38 games of the season. The only team in the NBA with more different starting lineups used than the Heat this season is the Dallas Mavericks, which entered Saturday having gone through 22 different starting groups.

“I am definitely not in a comfort zone in terms of what I can expect or what my lineup is,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of all the moving parts. “And I think that’s invigorating also for a coach that when I do my rotation and my prep for a game, it’s brand new every game. That’s keeping me young and keeping me really invigorated. It actually does keep you sharp. You can’t skip any steps, you definitely can’t check boxes or mail it in. There’s a different kind of prep this year.”

THE GOOD NEWS

As the Heat continues to deal with injury issues, the positive news is wing Caleb Martin made his return from injury to play in Friday’s win over the Magic.

After missing seven straight games with a sprained right ankle, Martin totaled 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting on threes, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench in his return.

Martin looked more comfortable as the game went on, turning in his best minutes of Friday’s contest in the fourth quarter. He scored seven points while playing the entire fourth quarter, including a baseline drive past Magic star Paolo Banchero for a layup with 5:46 to play.

“I didn’t want to come in and try to do too much,” Martin said of his approach in his return. “I didn’t want to try to worry about my rhythm or anything like that. I just wanted to feel the game out and let the game come to me, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Friday marked Martin’s first game action in nearly three weeks since turning his right ankle during the Heat’s home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.

“Just kind of a feel thing,” Martin said of the process leading up to his return. “Just getting to a point where it was smart to come back and not really have to worry about what I’m doing, how I’m playing, how I’m stepping and that type of stuff. So as long as I got to a point mentally where I could just kind of be somewhat myself and be comfortable.”

Martin now hopes to remain off the Heat’s injury report, as he’s already dealt with two separate injuries this season that has forced him to miss 17 of the first 38 games. He missed 10 straight games during the first month of the season because of left knee tendinosis.

“That’s just what comes with the game sometimes,” Martin said. “You try to be available as much as possible, but some stuff is out of your control and that’s just part of the game. All you can do is try to get back as quick as possible.”