Help could be on the way for Heat vs. Pistons, but Butler, Bradley and Leonard remain out

Help could be on the way for the Miami Heat this weekend, but the roster will still be shorthanded.

After playing the past two games — two road losses to the Philadelphia 76ers — with the NBA minimum of eight available players because of COVID-19 issues, six of the eight Heat players who have been out because of the league’s health and safety protocols have been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons (8 p.m., Fox Sports Sun).

A closer look at the Miami Heat’s first 10 games, with trends and stats to know

On Friday evening’s NBA-mandated injury report, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, Moe Harkless, Udonis Haslem, Kendrick Nunn and KZ Okpala were listed as questionable for Saturday’s contest after they missed the previous two games because of the health and safety protocols.

But Heat All-Star wing Jimmy Butler and veteran guard Avery Bradley have been ruled out for the third consecutive game because of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. Center Meyers Leonard will also miss Saturday’s contest because of a left shoulder strain.

Miami also listed guard Tyler Herro (neck spasms) and two-way contract guard Gabe Vincent (right knee soreness) as questionable.

The expectation this week has been that Heat players who have been held out because of contact tracing could potentially play in Saturday’s game if they continue to return negative tests, with another round of tests scheduled for Saturday prior to the game. At least one Heat player tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.

The team did not identify who tested positive for COVID-19. Heat players who were found to be close contacts but did not test positive were flown back to Miami on Monday night.

With the clock starting this past weekend with the postponement of Sunday’s Heat-Boston Celtics game, players who are determined to be close contacts are expected to be sidelined for seven days in most cases. Players who test positive for the virus likely have to miss at least about two weeks.

Three Heat players (Bradley, Butler and Leonard) have been ruled out for Saturday’s game. But Miami has the potential to have up to 13 players available against the Pistons if all eight who are listed as questionable can play.

The five Heat players who are not on the injury report for Saturday’s contest are Precious Achiuwa, Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, Andre Iguodala and Max Strus.

Heat Check newsletter

Want to stay up-to-date on the Miami Heat? Get the latest news, game results, analysis and insider information in your inbox from Monday through Friday during the NBA season.

The NBA has postponed 13 games since the Dec. 22 start of the season because of the league’s health and safety protocols, and 12 postponements have come since Sunday.

The Heat’s postponed road game against the Celtics that was scheduled for this past Sunday is expected to be made up later in the season, but that date has yet to determined. The NBA only released the first half of the regular-season schedule, which runs until March 4, and the second-half schedule will include the remainder of each team’s 72 games not scheduled in the first half and any games postponed during the first half that can “reasonably be added” to the second half.