Simone

Fontecchio

Inserted into the Heat starting lineup with Tyler Herro sidelined, Fontecchio had one of his best offensive showings of the season. The 6-foot-7 forward made six of his seven three-point attempts, scoring a season-high 24 points. If Herro remains out for Sunday’s game against the Hawks, Fontecchio may get another start. At a minimum, he likely got himself back onto Erik Spoelstra’s radar after being a DNP-CD the prior two games.

The Heat will not have Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro or Norman Powell for Friday’s game, with the absences of the first two creating openings in the starting lineup. Jakučions and Ware will move into the starting lineup, with Fontecchio replacing Pelle Larsson.

Powell returned to action on Tuesday after missing the previous four due to illness, and now he’s dealing with a sore groin. Pelle Larsson remained in the starting lineup on Tuesday; Simone Fontecchio could see action on Thursday if Powell doesn’t play. Fontecchio was a DNP-CD the last time out.

Scratched from the lineup for Saturday’s win over the Wizards for personal reasons, Herro is on track to play Tuesday night. His return would push Simone Fontecchio to the bench.

Not long after he was announced as a starter, Herro was ruled out for personal reasons. Simone Fontecchio will start, joining Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo.

Wiggins missed a handful of games this month with a toe injury, but he has played in Miami’s last five games, including both ends of a back-to-back. If that changes, Simone Fontecchio will likely return to the starting lineup in place of Wiggins.

Wiggins is back in the Heat lineup after an eight-game absence and will be in the starting lineup. Simone Fontecchio heads to the bench to make room for Wiggins. Meanwhile, Norman Powell will once again come off the bench, with Larsson retaining his place in the starting five.

Powell has missed two straight games, while Wiggins has missed eight in a row. Both could slot immediately back into the starting lineup, though Wiggins could face a minutes restriction after so much time off. Pelle Larsson and Simone Fontecchio could see their roles reduced with Powell and Wiggins available.

While Jaquez only missed Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, Wiggins has been out for the last seven. His likely return would push Simone Fontecchio to the bench one game after he put up 21 points in a loss to the Rockets. While he would remain in the rotation, Fontecchio offers less upside when used in a reserve role.

Limited to 19 minutes in his first spot start of the week on Thursday, Fontecchio logged 38 minutes in Houston. And he was effective, shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. The 21 points were two shy of Fontecchio’s season-high, with his being his third 20-point game of the season. His role moving forward will be influenced by the availability of Norman Powell and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who both sat out Saturday’s defeat due to injury.