Heat veteran forward P.J. Tucker limped to the locker room after suffering an apparent non-contact lower right leg injury in the first half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
P.J. Tucker Injury Update
The 37-year-old went down after twisting awkwardly reaching for a steal and had to be helped off the floor with 6:25 left in the second quarter.
He returned to the floor at the beginning of the third quarter.
It's unclear whether the injury is to his calf or ankle, although ESPN's Lisa Salters reported ahead of halftime that he was getting his right ankle re-taped and would likely be available to return in the second half.
Tucker suffered a right calf strain on April 7 that forced him to miss the final three games of the regular season. He returned for Game 1 against the Hawks and has played in every postseason game, although he has been listed as questionable on the injury report since Game 1 against the 76ers.
The grizzled playoff veteran is averaging 8.8 points and 5.7 rebounds on .557/.484/1.000 shooting splits in 11 playoff games.
Caleb Martin came into the game to replace Tucker and finished the half. Martin has been mostly absent from the rotation during the playoffs, but averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 60 games in the regular season.
