BOSTON _ Coach Erik Spoelstra stepped away from the Miami Heat before Wednesday night's game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden to return to South Florida for the birth of his second son.
As was the case when Spoelstra's first son was born, assistant coach Dan Craig was given the assignment to coach the Heat in his absence.
Spoelstra had hoped the timing of the Heat's schedule would allow for the birth to come during the Heat's upcoming four-game homestand that opens Friday against the Washington Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Instead, it left Craig, who previously had guided the Heat's G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, to a 2016 championship, to move over one spot on the bench, aided by the Heat's other assistant coaches _ Chris Quinn, Malik Allen, Octavio De La Grana and Anthony Carter. With Spoelstra's absence, De La Grana, who typically works behind the bench on game nights, was moved to the front row alongside Craig, Quinn and Allen.
The Heat arrived in Boson early Wednesday, after flying from Tuesday night's victory over the Toronto Raptors on the third stop of this four-game trip that began with Sunday's victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Spoelstra is married to Nikki Spoelstra, a former Heat Dancer. Nikki Spoelstra had been active on social media Tuesday night after the Heat's dramatic overtime victory in Toronto.
The Spoelstras' first son, Santiago Ray Spoelstra, also was an early arrival, three weeks ahead of that projected due date.
Craig coached the Heat in a 113-107 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 25, 2018, when Spoelstra missed the only other game in his 12-season tenure as Heat coach.
Wednesday's result counts against Spoelstra's record, as did that 2018 loss in Indiana.
The Heat previously also utilized a fill-in coach when then-assistant Ron Rothstein took over when Pat Riley underwent a hip replacement in 2007.
The Spoelstras were married July 22, 2016, with this the second child for both.
Spoelstra's absence follows Heat guard Jimmy Butler missing the first three games of the season for the birth of his daughter.
