UPDATE: Immediately following halftime, TNT sideline reporter David Aldridge said that Wade has a left knee bruise and will not return to action.
PREVIOUSLY: The hits just won’t stop coming for the Miami Heat. With his team down double-digits in the second quarter of tonight’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade lost his footing and took a fall that put his fragile left knee in an extremely compromising position.
Here’s video of the play in question. Watch as the Heat superstar’s right foot slips out from under him, putting immense pressure on his left knee as he continues down to the floor.
An optimist would note that Wade’s knee didn’t seem to buckle as it flexed – a common sign of a torn ACL. Rather, it was simply forced downward as his momentum pushed to the sideline.
It bears mentioning that the three-time champion had fluid drained from the knee in question over the weekend, but that didn’t stop him from scoring 40 points in a huge win against the Portland Trail Blazers just a day later. Wade gingerly walked to the locker room shortly after limping back to the bench, reportedly to undergo medical testing on his knee.
Dwyane Wade headed to Heat locker room to have left knee examined.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) April 3, 2015
Might the further assessment simply be a precaution? Here’s hoping so.
Not only is Miami already mired in a deluge of injuries to key players, but Wade has recently been playing his best basketball of the season – it would be a shame to miss him come playoff time, and even more unfortunate if his potential absence for the regular season’s remainder kept the Heat from the postseason altogether. With seven contests left to play following Tuesday’s, Erik Spoesltra’s squad is just a half game up in the standings on the ninth-place Boston Celtics.
We’ll keep you updated as news on Wade’s status becomes available. The Cavaliers lead the Heat 61-50 at intermission.
[Video via watchnba 2014-2015]
