Heat's Bam Adebayo Will Play in Game 4 vs. Lakers After Neck Injury

The Miami Heat are getting a boost as they look to even the 2020 NBA Finals on Tuesday night as Bam Adebayo will return to the court, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Adebayo was planning to return to the court for Game 4. The center missed the last two games because of a neck strain.

Thanks to a superhuman effort from Jimmy Butler, the Heat were 115-104 winners in Game 3 on Sunday. Butler finished with 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in 45 minutes on the floor.

Although the result gave Miami renewed life, many were left to wonder whether Butler could continue doing it on his own to such an extreme extent. Butler was the third player in Finals history to have a 40-point triple-double, joining LeBron James (2015) and Jerry West (1969). Neither James nor West was victorious in his respective series that year.

Adebayo would provide some much-needed support. He was averaging 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds in these playoffs prior to his injury.

Still, the Heat will have to keep going without Goran Dragic, who's nursing a foot injury.

Adebayo's recovery might have come too late to make a difference. The Lakers will take a 3-1 lead should they prevail Tuesday night. The Cleveland Cavaliers famously overcame that deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals, but history wouldn't be on Miami's side if that were the case.