MILWAUKEE -- Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro left the team's 130-117 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their first-round playoff series with broken fingers in his right hand and is expected to miss four to six weeks, according to Turner Sports' Chris Haynes. That would rule him out for at least the remainder of this series.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra did not offer much of an update postgame, saying only that Herro would not play in Game 2.
Herro appeared to suffer the injury late in the first half while diving for a loose ball. With a minute left in the second quarter, Herro knocked the ball away from Grayson Allen and the two went sprinting after it in the backcourt. Herro dove, but Allen was first to the ball and scooped it up just before the Milwaukee native could get his hands on it.
As play continued down on the other end of the floor, Herro crouched near the Heat's bench in serious pain. He spent most of the possession grabbing at his hand and probably would have preferred not to get the ball. When a pass came to him late in the shot clock, he had no choice but to shoot it and tossed up an airball with no conviction.
Tyler Herro was in pain after an apparent hand injury pic.twitter.com/k6OUQMt5JD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2023
While he stayed out there for the final 30 seconds, he was not involved and did not re-emerge from the locker room after halftime. Despite Herro's absence, the Heat went on to win the game and take a 1-0 lead over the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.
Doing so again three more times in this series will be a major challenge for the Heat given Herro's importance to the offense. Herro put up 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season, while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point land. He was the team's third-leading scorer, best 3-point shooter and an important secondary playmaker.
"You can't fully make up what Tyler has been for our team all year long," Jimmy Butler said. "Guys have to step up, including myself, including Bam and whoever Spo calls upon to do an offensive assignment, a defensive assignment, to bring some energy, to dive on the floor, get a loose ball or rebound. It's all hands on deck at all times, and now more than ever."
