Heat forward LeBron James is questionable for Thursday’s game against the Hawks after spraining his ankle in the third quarter Wednesday.James went down hard on a drive to the basket against the Pacers and writhed in pain for several minutes before walking off the injury. He remained in the game but could be unavailable against Atlanta.
“It’s OK right now,” James said after the Heat’s 118-83 victory against the Pacers. “It’s always the next day. That’s the way you know how it’s going to be going forward. With this flight, it may swell a little bit on the plane.” James was two rebounds shy of a triple-double against the Hawks. He scored 33 points to go along with 13 assists and eight rebounds."When you have as many sprained ankles as I have in my career, you know exactly what happens as soon as it happens,” James said.
“So I’m glad I was able to finish the game and we were able to get a quality win.” The Heat could be without James and Dwyane Wade against the Hawks. Wade missed Wednesday’s game with a sore left foot, and his status remains day-to-day.“I haven’t had my lift because I haven’t been able to explode,” Wade said. “Obviously as athletes you play through pain but as athletes you got to take a look at it.”Wade said the “plantar fascia area” of his left foot (the tissue directly under the heel) of his left foot is causing him problems.“It’s the kind of thing that’s day-to-day,” Wade said. “It feels good one moment, it doesn’t the other.
Like I said, I think the back-to-back the other day kind of hurt me and made it real sore — probably as sore as it’s been — so at this moment it’s about taking time and being smart and seeing how my foot is going to feel.” On the ballot Joel Anthony assumed his always playful teammates were joking when they began congratulating him before Wednesday’s game.“I didn’t know,” Anthony said. “I thought they were joking.
”Yes, it’s hard to believe — even for Anthony — but the Heat’s underappreciated center is on this season’s all-star ballot. A fourth-year pro known for his work ethic and athletic ability, Anthony was one of 12 centers from the Eastern Conference to receive the recognition. Chris Bosh, Wade and James also were on the ballot. The NBA All-Star Game will be Feb. 26 at Orlando’s new Amway Center. Bosh, Wade and James are perennial all-stars and always appear on the ballot, but Anthony’s presence is somewhat surprising considering his lack of offense.
“I don’t really know what to say,” Anthony said. “I definitely appreciate that kind of appreciation.”Anthony, a defensive specialist, entered Wednesday’s game against the Pacers averaging 3.3 point and 4.7 rebounds per game. By comparison, Dwight Howard, the odds-on favorite to start at center for the East, is averaging 17.1 points and a league-leading 15.3 rebounds per game.Still, that disparity in statistics won’t stop Heat fans from voting for Anthony.
The fan favorite has one of the best nicknames on the team — The Warden (because he “locks down” the paint) — and receives “MVP” chants whenever he steps to the free-throw line.Coach Erik Spoelstra cracked a partial smile when asked about Anthony’s presence on the all-star ballot but was sincere with praise of the undersized center.“He is a ‘Mr. Intangible’ player. When we brought him in four years ago, we saw a very rough version of who he is now,” Spoelstra said.“He has earned every single thing that he has gotten in this league.” of 6 in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s first loss of the season.