The Miami Heat may have to avenge Dwyane Wade, rather than play him in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Chicago Bulls.
ESPN.com is reporting that Wade received "extensive treatment" on a bruised right knee and is considered questionable for Wednesday night's game. He will continue to receive treatment up until game time before the Heat make a decision on his availability.
"His status hasn't changed," ESPN reported Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as saying of Wade, who has multiple bruises and has been dealing with soreness in his right knee for more than two months. "We all know what he's dealing with. He's day to day. We'll evaluate him today. We'll evaluate him tomorrow and go from there."
Wade collided knees with Chicago's Jimmy Butler in the second quarter of Miam's 88-65 victor over the Bulls during Game 4 of their series Monday night. The win gave the Heat a 3-1 series lead, and they can close out the Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference finals with one more victory.
Wade played 29 minutes of Game 4, scoring just six points. He was able to return in the second half.
"I aggravated it," Wade told reporters in Chicago. "It hurt, but eventually, I was able to come back, re-tape my knee and try to finish."
Wade, who averaged 21.2 points per game this season and 24.7 points for his career, is averaging just 12.3 points per game during the 2013 postseason. His scoring average is just 11.3 points per game through the first four contests against the Bulls.
According to ESPN, Spoelstra told reporters that the Heat might take the same approach that it did in its first-round series against Milwaukee. The Heat won the first three games of the series and sat out Wade during the series-clinching Game 4 to give him more rest.
Wade was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
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