Miami guard Tyler Herro was available to play in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, nearly two months after breaking his right hand and with the Heat facing elimination against the Denver Nuggets.
Herro has not played since Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round against Milwaukee. He has recovered from surgery to repair the fractures and has been doing shooting and some scrimmage work for several days in an effort to get back on the court.
“He's done everything he needed to do,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in Denver during his pregame media session. “We appreciate all the work that he's put in. It's been a long, whatever, six, seven weeks of this and he's putting himself out there, available. It's all hands on deck.”
Herro was listed as out for Game 5 when the initial Heat injury report for the game was released Sunday. The Heat upgraded him to questionable on Monday morning.
“You have to go through stages,” Spoelstra said last week when discussing Herro's return. “First part of it was just shooting, then movement, then contact versus coaches and then the next level of contact in practice.”
Miami trails the finals 3-1. The Nuggets are seeking their first NBA title and need only one win to get it, with Game 5 — and Game 7, if necessary — both set to be played in Denver. If the Heat win on Monday, Game 6 would be in Miami on Thursday.
Herro also missed some time in last season's playoffs with a groin injury. It sidelined him for three games of the East finals against Boston, before he returned for Game 7 and struggled in what became the final game of the season for the Heat.
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