ORLANDO, Fla. — For the first time since Feb. 2, veteran guard Kyle Lowry took the floor for the Miami Heat.
Lowry played against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night after missing the past 15 games because of left knee soreness. But, in doing so, the veteran guard came off the bench for the first time in over 10 years.
Lowry, who entered Saturday’s game with 6:21 left in the first quarter for Heat star Jimmy Butler, had started 677 consecutive games prior to Saturday night, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The last time Lowry came off the bench was as a member of the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 26, 2013 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lowry’s entrance into Saturday’s game was briefly delayed as he had to jump off the stationary bike he was loosening up on behind the Heat bench. As he got to the scorer’s table he had to take off his warmups, a heating pad and another wrap before checking into the game.
“He’s good to go,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to Saturday’s game. “It’s not a minutes restriction, but we will be mindful. I know he’s really excited about getting back out there. He’s worked very diligently behind the scenes to prepare for this and I’m excited to have him back in the mix. We could use another spark right now during this stretch run.”
Lowry is also getting his first chance to play with new teammate Kevin Love. Love signed with the Heat last month after his contract was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Veteran guys, experienced guys, they all tend to figure it out,” Spoelstra said. “Highly decorated guys, they all tend to figure it out. They’re all about winning right now, so they’re not to figure out how they can score more or get more stats; it’s just about winning basketball. They both have such a great feel offensively and then super-high IQs. I think that will really help our overall offense.”
Lowry, who will turn 37 later this month, was averaging 12 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game before Saturday night.
Source : ESPN
