MIAMI (AP) -A knee injury will sideline Dorell Wright for the remainder of the season, the latest piece of bad news to hit the reeling Miami Heat.
Wright had surgery Monday to repair a left meniscus tear, which he suffered in the second quarter of Miami’s 120-109 loss Sunday night at the Sacramento Kings. Miami wasted a 23-point second-half lead and fell to 11-46, the worst record in the NBA.
The Heat said Wright would be in a straight-leg brace for one month, and will begin rehabilitation immediately.
The 22-year-old Wright averaged career-bests of 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 25.2 minutes in 43 games this season, plus hit 49 percent of his shots, the best mark of his four seasons. He also started 33 games, 12 more than he started in his first three NBA seasons combined.
Wright missed time earlier this season with a sprained ankle, plus lost two teeth after being struck in a game against the Philadelphia 76rs last month.
His absence could expedite the return of rookie guard Daequan Cook from the NBA Development League. Cook is on loan to the NBDL’s Iowa franchise for a five-game stint, which began Sunday. The Heat do not play again until hosting Toronto on Wednesday.
Either way, Miami’s bench will be missing at least one option for Saturday’s resumption of a suspended game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The NBA released procedures for that resumption Monday, and Wright must be among the 10 players on Miami’s active roster for the final 51.9 seconds of overtime in a game that began Dec. 19.
The Hawks were originally credited with a win in that game, but the Heat protested because stat-crew workers in Atlanta erroneously gave Shaquille O’Neal a sixth foul.
NBA officials agreed, erased the Atlanta victory from the books, and ordered the ending replayed.
Of course, O’Neal won’t be there now anyway – he was traded to the Phoenix Suns last month. That game will resume with Atlanta holding a 114-111 lead, and after completion of that matchup, the Heat and Hawks will play a full game as originally scheduled.
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