NEW YORK — The Heat will once again be shorthanded for Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks.
Shane Battier will miss his fourth game due to a strained left quadriceps and Mario Chalmers will miss his second full game with an injured Achilles heel. Rashard Lewis and Norris Cole are expected to start in place Battier and Chalmers, respectively.
Battier participated in Thursday’s shootaround at Madison Square Garden, which is a good sign, but will rest his legs as a precaution. Chalmers did not participate in the morning shootaround due to his tendonitis.
“You call it tendonitis, I call it painful,” Chalmers said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said both players are improving.
Dwyane Wade is expected to play, but Spoelstra said Wade officially would be a game-time decision. The Heat plays the Knicks at 8 p.m. and then plays the Brooklyn Nets at 8 p.m. on Friday. If Wade plays against the Knicks, there’s a chance he would rest against the Nets.
“We’re always day-to-day,” Spoelstra said of Wade’s playing status. “We evaluate, we communicate, see how he’s feeling. He has been feeling better. He has been getting stronger. So, he’s been able to play, but those determinations are always right before the game.”
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