Why is Bam Adebayo not playing tonight vs Cavaliers? Latest status of 3x NBA All-Star for Heat - March 20

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo won't be available for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. He will miss his 11th game of the season as he's been fairly active for the team this season. According to the team, Adebayo is dealing with a back injury.

Miami is coming off a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, where Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Heat are wrapping off a four-game road trip before heading back to Miami to face the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Heat will have to depend on Thomas Bryant to take care of the responsibilities down low. All-Star forward Jimmy Butler will be available to face the Cavs tonight.

Tonight's matchup between the Heat and the Cavs will be their third game in their four-game season series. The last time they played against each other, Cleveland went home with a 111-99 win. Adebayo was also unavailable during that game as he had a left hip injury.

Adebayo has not played a game for the Heat this season whenever they had the Cavs on the schedule. Even in their first meeting in November 2023, the big man was unavailable.

Besides Adebayo, Duncan Robinson is also on the injury list for the Heat. The sharpshooter is also dealing with a back injury.

The Cavs are also missing key players on their roster as they face the Heat. Donovan Mitchell remains out with a nasal fracture and Evan Mobley is dealing with an ankle sprain. Former Miami shooter Max Strus won't be available as he's dealing with a right knee sprain.

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How long is Bam Adebayo out for?

There isn't any indication of how long Bam Adebayo will be out as he deals with a lower back injury. Adebayo's value on the floor is unmatched as he's the man who anchors the team's defense and also provides a boost offensively.

But seeing as how he's been healthy for the most part, there's hope that he'll be back when they defend their home floor against the Pelicans.

According to head coach Erik Spoelstra, the coaching staff will monitor how the star player will recover from the injury.

"It’s something that he’s been dealing with," Spoelstra said. "And by the time we got to Cleveland, it definitely didn’t get better, it got a little bit worse. So we’ll treat him and he’ll be day-to-day."

The Heat have dealt with a ton of injuries this season, but they're still within the Play-In zone.