Bam Adebayo upgraded on Heat injury report vs. Nuggets as he battles nagging back injury

MIAMI – As the Miami Heat won big against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, 142-116, the team once again missed stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro with back and toe injuries, respectively. With the Heat captain in Adebayo dealing with back soreness, he would speak more in-depth about what he’s going through as he’s set to make a return on Monday.

Adebayo had missed the past two games with back soreness, but Sunday saw the big man be listed as “probable” for Monday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. While he just missed two games, Adebayo had been dealing with this problem “for a while now,” describing it as a “nagging” issue.

“It just finally got to a point where I had to sit down,” Adebayo said after Miami’s win over Indiana, speaking to the media for the first time since his absence. “Sit and rest. I mean, that’s really what it was. It was one of those nagging injuries. So I finally had to sit down.”

Bam Adebayo spoke to the media after missing his second straight game with lower back soreness.

Said that the injury has been nagging him “for a while.” Said it wasn’t always the back, but it “crept up to the back.” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/vaG2luwwrg

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 28, 2025

While the injury report lists Adebayo with back soreness, it seems that the star had been playing through other ailments, but this time, it “crept up” to that area. However, it got to the point where Miami and Adebayo decided that needing rest was best to get the top version of the 28-year-old.

“It wasn’t always the back. It just crept up to the back,” Adebayo said

“It’s the NBA,” Adebayo continued. “Guys always try to play through things. And when they can’t, sit down and rest.”

However, Adebayo now looks to be back and lead the way in turning around the season, though Tyler Herro remains out with a toe contusion.

Heat’s Bam Adebayo on correlation between injuries and personal slump

The injury comes at an intriguing time since the Heat star in Adebayo had been in a slump of his own, as in the last four games he played, he averaged 11.2 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from the field. Even looking at his season so far, he’s averaging 18.1 points, which would be the lowest since his third season in the NBA, and shooting a career-low 46.6 percent.

While Adebayo doesn’t want to make excuses, he would say to ClutchPoints that the correlation between his personal slump and the injuries goes “hand in hand.” However, he would downplay the slump as anything of note, saying, “We’re going to go through slumps and get back in the groove.”

“More so shots not falling,” Adebayo said. “I’m not going to make an excuse because I was hurt…That makes no sense. If I’m healthy enough to play, then I play. So that’s no excuse. I’ll say it was just shots not falling. It’s a long season.”

Bam Adebayo would talk about the team having success the last two, which is an obvious feeling since “nobody wants to f*****g lose.”

Would ask him in second vid if nagging injury had anything to do with slump. Didn’t want to make excuses, but goes “hand in hand.” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/kYzGAAcOn4

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 28, 2025

So far, he’s been on the nose as Miami has won the last two games, performing on the level like fans saw in the 14-7 start to the season, where it wasn’t that rare to see the team score at least 140 points. Saturday’s outing marked the sixth time this season the Heat scored at least 140 points, with the franchise having done that eight times in its history heading into this year.

Adebayo expressed how “happy” he is for Miami, and while he wasn’t out there the past two games, he was active in huddles and communicated heavily while on the bench. Adebayo is set to make his return on Monday against the Nuggets, with the team looking for its third straight win.

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