It’s been a quiet stretch for the Miami Heat. Nearly a week away from the floor has only made their rough patch feel louder. Four straight losses, five in the last six, and suddenly Miami finds itself clinging to sixth in the East. The good news? The standings are tight, and one win can flip the script fast. Enter the Toronto Raptors, who arrive in Miami dealing with their own slump. Since RJ Barrett went down, Toronto has struggled to stay steady, sliding after an encouraging start. Both teams are desperate to turn things around.

With 3:38 left in the first quarter, Nikola Jovic went up for a shot in transition over Collin Murray-Boyles, but the play went wrong in midair. He lost his balance, crashed hard onto his back, and stayed down holding his hip, bringing play to a halt.

The stretcher was brought out, but Jovic eventually walked to the locker room on his own, sporting a large brace on his right hand.

“Take a look at that right arm, the brace contraption. Jovic walking off under his own power,” the commentators said, as Jovic headed to the locker room with a smile on his face.

“That right arm will be examined,” the voices behind the mic added.

Moments later, an update confirmed Jovic would not return due to an arm injury. The play unfolded when he hit the rim while attempting the shot, landed directly on his hand, and rolled over on impact.

How did Nikola Jovic perform before leaving?

Miami was up 17–13 when Nikola Jovic’s night came to a sudden stop. He lasted just 12 seconds, made no mark on the scoreboard, and was ruled out for the rest of the game with an arm injury. For a young player finally in line for minutes, it was a brutal twist.

The timing hurt even more. Jovic had recently opened up about his frustration with inconsistent playing time. Erik Spoelstra didn’t use him at all in Miami’s NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to Orlando. Before that, Jovic logged 31 minutes against Sacramento on Dec. 6, but in the two games prior, he played a combined seven minutes. His role has been constantly shifting.

Still, Jovic has tried to stay grounded. “If I’m the 11th guy from the bench, we’re going to be really good,” he said. “I’m just staying ready… I guess at one point I’ll play again.”

This season, he’s averaging 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists while shooting 39 percent from the field.

How did the Heat adjust without Jovic?

With Nikola Jovic done for the night, Miami had to adjust. Keshad Johnson and Jaime Jaquez suddenly became names to watch for extra minutes as the rotation reshuffled.

Since Jovic couldn’t shoot the free throws after being fouled by Toronto’s Boyle, the Raptors got to choose the replacement. They picked rarely used Keshad Johnson, who calmly made both shots, moving to 7-of-11 from the line.