Monday, January 17, 2011

Bosh sprains ankle over weekend as Heat lose third straight



photo by Getty Images

The Miami Heat (30-12) lost a third consecutive game on Saturday, and that may not be the worst thing to have happened to the team this weekend.

Power forward Chris Bosh injured his ankle in the Heat's 99-96 road loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, leaving Miami with just one of its three star players healthy as it heads into Tuesday's showdown with the Atlanta Hawks. LeBron James is also nursing an ankle injury.

Bosh and James' ankle injuries aren't deemed to be too serious, but they could spell trouble for Miami as it looks to bounce back from its three-game skid.

If neither Bosh or James can play at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday, then Dwyane Wade will need to hope his supporting cast can play as well against Atlanta as it did versus the Bulls.

The Heat's bench scored 37 points on Saturday, with Eddie House leading the way with 13 of those. Mike Miller, who is still trying to define his role in the rotation, chipped in with eight points, which included his first two three-pointers of the season.

Wade can obviously carry a heavier load even if Bosh and James don't play, but with Atlanta surely sending double-teams his way, the rest of the team will need to do its part.

That will especially hold true on the defensive end, where Bosh's rebounding ability will sorely be missed if he cannot suit up.

Miami plays just two home games over the next 10 days, so there will be time for the walking wounded to heal. Until then however, the Heat will need all of its healthy players to step up in James and Bosh's absence.

Otherwise, a fourth straight loss may be in store.

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If you haven't seen how Bosh rolled his ankle, you can do so here:

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