Heat's Gabe Vincent Out for Game 5 vs. Celtics with Ankle Injury

Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent will not play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Vincent is listed as out because of a sprained ankle.

Vincent has been a key contributor for the Heat throughout the playoffs, especially against Boston. He's averaging 17.5 points, 2.8 three-pointers made, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In Miami's Game 4 loss to Boston on Tuesday, Vincent played nearly 28 minutes and scored 17 points, but he left in the fourth quarter when he sprained his ankle.

His absence will be a big loss for the Heat, especially after he had a career night in Miami's 128-102 win in Game 3. Vincent finished with a career playoff high of 29 points and led all scorers in the game.

Overall, Vincent is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 2.4 three-pointers made and 1.6 rebounds in 15 playoff games, all of which have been starts.

The fourth-year guard started only half of the 68 games he appeared in during the regular season, but he put up the best numbers of his career nonetheless, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 triples.

While the Heat will still have the services of All-Star-level players in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in Game 5, Vincent has arguably been their third-most-important player during their playoff run. He is third on the team in minutes, scoring and assists per game in the postseason, so it won't be easy for Miami to replace him.

With Vincent out Thursday, head coach Erik Spoelstra will likely be forced to lean more heavily on the likes of Kyle Lowry, Max Strus and Caleb Martin. Since Lowry is the only pure guard among them, as well as a veteran player with championship experience from his time with the Toronto Raptors, he may be the top player to watch in Vincent's absence.

The Heat have some margin for error with a 3-1 series lead, but they would undoubtedly love to close out the Celtics and cement their spot in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in Boston.