Heat vs. Spurs Postponed Due to Miami's COVID-19 Issues, Injuries

The NBA has postponed Wednesday's game between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat didn't have at least eight players available, which is the minimum number required of a team to play.

The Heat said Wednesday that Zylan Cheatham, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent entered the health and safety protocols, while Jimmy Butler, Markieff Morris and KZ Okpala would be out through injury.

Six other players were listed in Miami's injury report:

Multiple reports laid out how desperate things had become for the Heat:

A number of teams across the league have struggled to meet the eight-player threshold due to the increase in COVID-19 cases brought on by the omicron variant.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Malika Andrews on Dec. 21 that league officials weren't yet considering a pause to allow teams to get their players back from the protocols:

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened its recommended isolation time following a positive COVID test, though, the NBA amended its return-to-play protocols. Players who test positive can isolate for as few as six days before returning as long as they're asymptomatic and fulfill other testing measures.

The Heat are off Thursday and return to action Friday against the Houston Rockets. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reported Butler and Kyle Lowry are both expected to be available, thus helping the team potentially avert another postponement.