Guard Goran Dragic is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game of the NBA Finals on Friday night, as he deals with the torn plantar fascia in his left foot suffered in the first half of the Sept. 30 series opener, an NBA source said.
As had been the case the previous three games, the Heat listed Dragic as doubtful going into Friday's 9 p.m. matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, with formal confirmation expected from coach Erik Spoelstra at 7:30 p.m.
Rookie guard Tyler Herro has started in place of Dragic the past three games.
Heat forward Jae Crowder said teammates found Dragic's efforts to return inspirational.
"He's a competitor. What he's trying to do, you tip your hat to a guy like that," he said. "Obviously, it's a terrible time going down with an injury, an injury of that caliber obviously hinders you a little bit.
"It's eating him alive that he's put in all this work and has to face this injury that he's facing. It's frustrating for him. As his teammates, as his brothers, we just try to uplift him every day."
Dragic, 34, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He had been leading the Heat in scoring during the playoffs before his injury.
