Heat’s Tyler Herro to undergo surgery on Friday, expects to be out until at least NBA Finals

If the Miami Heat is able to go on another deep playoff run, most or all of it will need to come without starting guard Tyler Herro.

That’s because Herro broke his right hand late in the first half of the Heat’s Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday at Fiserv Forum.

Herro was with the Heat for Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee with a protective wrap on his right hand. He will travel back to Miami with the team following Wednesday’s Game 2 and will undergo surgery on his broken hand on Friday, which is expected to sideline him for four to six weeks and keep him out until at least the June 1 start of the NBA Finals if the Heat makes it that far.

Heat’s offensive display in Game 1 was stunning. But how sustainable is it vs. Bucks?

“They said it would be more toward the NBA Finals, not the conference finals, just because of the rehab I’d have to do after surgery,” Herro said Tuesday when asked for a timeline on his potential return. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s the hope, get to the Finals, and I can come back for that. But obviously just taking it one day at a time, get my surgery on Friday and go from there.”

Herro suffered the injury while diving for a loose ball in the final minute of the first half of Game 1. Herro immediately attempted to head to the locker room, but remained on the court for the final seconds of the second quarter until the halftime buzzer sounded.

“I could dive on 10 balls and I probably won’t break my hand at all,” Herro said of the play that he broke his hand on. “I don’t know what happened. Like I watched the video, and I still don’t know where I hit my hand. I still don’t know. Like I said, I probably shouldn’t have dove on it, but I was trying to create some energy. We were on the road in my hometown and trying to play hard.”

Before exiting the game, Herro actually took a corner three with 32.6 seconds left in the second quarter with his broken right hand. He missed the shot, but left many impressed that he was even able to get the shot up.

“I didn’t know my hand was broken at the time,” Herro said of that moment. “I knew I was in pain, That was probably the most open shot I’ve gotten all year, so I was like, ‘I’m shooting it either way.’ And I shot it, and that’s when I knew, like, OK, something is wrong, because I couldn’t even follow through with my hand.

“I got to the back, and seen right way, my bones were like in my palm. And I like pushed them up as I was going to the back, and I said it was broken for sure.”

At halftime, the Heat announced that Herro broke his right hand. Herro said the second and third metacarpal in his right hand “just snapped in half.”

“It sucks,” Herro said. “Obviously being at home [in Milwaukee] and being in the playoffs, you work so hard all year to be in this moment, where I feel like I had some things to prove this postseason, so it was a tough moment. I still can’t believe it. It’ll probably sink in [Wednesday] night, when I can’t suit up. It’s my first time breaking a bone, and unfortunate timing. Stay positive and I’ll be back stronger than ever. I’ll be back.”

Herro closed the regular season as the Heat’s third-leading scorer with 20.1 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 37.8 percent shooting on threes. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler were the only Heat players who averaged more points than Herro.

But Herro knew he would ultimately be judged by his postseason play after his struggles in the playoffs last season. He was off to a strong start in Game 1, too, recording 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range in 19 first-half minutes before leaving the game.

“That’s why I was so disappointed,” Herro said. “I feel like no matter what I did in the regular season, it wasn’t going to validate until I did something in the playoffs again. I knew that. And that’s why it’s just so devastating. Because I know what I was capable of.”

Herro, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, said he had a “lot of people” at Game 1 and “they obviously were really devastated by the news.”

The Heat doesn’t have anybody on the roster who can replace Herro’s combination of three-point shooting and shot creation. But among the options who coach Erik Spoelstra could turn to to replace Herro in the starting lineup include Duncan Robinson, Victor Oladipo, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love.

Robinson replaced Herro in the Heat’s starting lineup to open the second half of Game 1. Robinson played six minutes in the final two quarters Sunday, making his only three-point attempt of the game.

When asked who will replace Herro in the starting group in Game 2, Spoelstra said Tuesday: “I don’t know yet.”

But Spoelstra does know that Herro has the toughness to endure this setback and come out stronger on the other side.

“He has a toughness about him,” Spoelstra said. “That always is really challenging for competitors when you can’t be out there with your team. I feel for him, I do. Because I saw that look in his eye in preparing for the playoffs. He really wanted to make an impact and he was off to a great start on both ends of the court.

“It’s a shame that, one, you get injured and, two, you get injured on a hustle play trying to do the right thing. But all in all, the outlook was better than what I expected. I know that doesn’t make Tyler feel a whole lot better right now in the moment. But some of those hand injuries could be a lot worse. So that part is promising and he has the mental fortitude and toughness that he’ll be able to get through this and find a silver lining out of it.”

INJURY REPORT

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo did not participate in practice on Tuesday after exiting Game 1 early because of a lower back contusion and is listed as doubtful for Game 2. Despite being listed as doubtful on Tuesday evening, the Bucks could upgrade his status in time for Wednesday night’s game with injury reports updated hourly up until tipoff.

But the Bucks already ruled out guard Wesley Matthews for Game 2 because of a strained right calf. Matthews logged 18 minutes off Milwaukee’s bench in Game 1.

The Heat ruled out Herro (right hand fracture) and Nikola Jovic (back spasms) for Game 2. Lowry is listed as questionable with left knee soreness.

THIS AND THAT

▪ The NBA’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award went to Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. Butler and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan were the other two finalists for the honor.

The results were announced Tuesday, as Butler finished second in the voting for the award with one first-place vote, 24 second-place votes and 27 third-place votes.

▪ The tipoff time for Game 4 between the Heat and Bucks on Monday in Miami will either be at 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.

If the Philadelphia 76ers sweep the Brooklyn Nets, Game 4 between the Heat and Bucks will be at 7:30 p.m. on TNT. If the Nets win one of the next two games against the 76ers, Game 4 between the Heat and Bucks will be at 7 p.m. on NBA TV. Bally Sports Sun will televise the game locally in either scenario.