Heat's Josh Richardson Reportedly Could Miss 2 Weeks with Groin Injury After MRI

Miami Heat swingman Josh Richardson might be out two weeks with a groin injury, according to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski reported Richardson underwent an MRI, which didn't show any major damage. Still, the 25-year-old will be unavailable to Miami for the time being. The Heat have four more games left in the regular season.

Richardson played 16 minutes in Miami's 112-102 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. He exited with what the team called a "left leg injury." He had missed the Heat's previous three games with a heel injury.

The fourth-year veteran has been one of the Heat's best players. He's averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The team is 4.8 points worse per 100 possessions when he goes to the bench, per NBA.com.

The Heat are now facing a tougher road back into the top eight of the Eastern Conference. Only one game separates Miami from the sixth-place Detroit Pistons, and a half-game stands between it and the seventh-place Brooklyn Nets and eighth-place Orlando Magic.

The Heat have a tricky game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road Friday before difficult matchups with the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Nets to close out the year.

Navigating that stretch would be hard enough at full strength for Miami. Take Richardson out of the equation, and the door to the postseason is slowly beginning to close.