Bam Adebayo to Play for Heat vs. Celtics Despite Apparent Wrist Injury

Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo is set to play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday after appearing to injure his left wrist during a tie-up with Boston's Jayson Tatum midway through Game 4. 

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters Thursday the 23-year-old is fine and didn't mention any limitations. 

"[Adebayo] will be ready to go tomorrow," Spoelstra said after giving him a day off of practice. 

The All-Star twisted his wrist during the second quarter Wednesday, yet still played 41 minutes to finish with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. 

Miami opted not to take X-rays of Adebayo's arm and instead allowed him to ice his body after appearing pained down the stretch in Game 4's 112-109 victory. 

"I’m good," Adebayo said after the win. "Just a wrong turn, wrong little movement, nothing major."

With Miami holding a 3-1 series lead, Adebayo and his teammates can earn themselves a bit of rest with one more victory on Friday. 

The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets are just three games into their series with the Lakers holding a 2-1 edge ahead of Thursday's Game 4. After Denver's bounce-back performance on Tuesday for a 114-106 victory, it appears the Western Conference Finals may not end as quickly as it seemed after the first two games. That could be good news for a Miami team that wouldn't mind a little time off. 

That's especially true for Adebayo. 

Along with Jimmy Butler—and, more recently, Tyler Herro—Adebayo has been one of the true difference-makers in the conference finals, averaging 22 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks.

Which is exactly why Miami allowed him to spend a day on the sidelines ahead of Game 5 to ensure he's ready to go on Friday. 

"He was able to work extremely intensely in our film session," Spoelstra said.

The Heat will soon learn how much those sessions paid off.