Miami Heat's Nikola Jovic Starting Tonight Against San Antonio Spurs

The Heat's rookie is once again back in the starting lineup

Miami Heat rookie Nikola Jovic will start tonight against the San Antonio Spurs in Mexico City. 

Jovic had been on G League assignment and dealing with back spasm. The Heat are playing him at power forward alongside center Bam Adebayo. 

Here's the preview for today's game:

Game time: 5 p.m., ET

Where: Arena CDMX, Mexico City

TV: Bally Sports Sun, NBA TV

Betting line: Heat N/A

VITALS: The Heat and Spurs meet for the second and final time this regular season. Earlier this season, San Antonio recorded a, 115-111, win last week in Miami on 12/10. The Heat has currently won two consecutive against the Spurs on the road, tying the longest such streak in team history. Miami has also won four of the last five overall against the Spurs, including sweeping the last two season series’. The Heat are 25-45 all-time versus the Spurs during the regular season, including 19-17 in home games and 6-28 in road games. For the Heat, Bam Adebayo (ankle), Haywood Highsmith (quad), Caleb Martin (ankle), Udonis Haslem (Achilles), Kyle Lowry (knee) and Dewayne Dedmon (foot) are questionable, Jimmy Butler (knee), Tyler Herro (ankle), Victor Oladipo (knee) Duncan Robinson (ankle), Max Strus (shoulder), Nikola Jovic (back) and Orlando Robinson (back) are probable and Jamal Cain (G League), Gabe Vincent (knee) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle) are out. For the Spurs, For the Spurs, Dominick Barlow (G League), Malaki Branham (G League), Josh Richardson (personal reasons), Blake Wesley (G League) are out, Jakob Poeltl (knee) and Zach Collins (ankle) are probable and Romeo Langford (ankle) is questionable.

PROJECTED STARTERS

HEAT

G Tyler Herro

G Kyle Lowry

C Bam Adebayo

F Caleb Martin

F Jimmy Butler

ROCKETS

F Keita Bates-Diop

F Keldon Johnson

C Charles Bassey

G Josh Richardson

G Tre Jones

QUOTABLE

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on improving defensively: "We have to win games defensively. I feel like our offense is going to get better, particularly in the second half of the season. But our foundation, bread and butter has to be on the defensive side of the floor. I just like seeing it again, us putting our body in front of drives."

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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