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The Miami Heat will have to close out the Boston Celtics without Nigeria's Gabe Vincent in Game 5.
On Thursday, the Miami Heat will have another chance to win the Eastern Conference Finals, but they will be missing a crucial player.
Gabe Vincent, a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who is Miami's third-leading scorer in the series, will miss Game 5 due to an injured left ankle, the team said.
Vincent played close to 28 minutes and contributed 17 points in Miami's Game 4 defeat to Boston on Tuesday.
During the fourth game's second half, Vincent fell awkwardly and injured his ankle.
In Game 5, the Heat will face a significant struggle as a result of Vincent's injury.
Throughout the playoffs, Vincent has been a crucial component for the Heat, particularly against Boston.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, he is averaging 17.5 points, 2.8 made three-pointers, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Despite never posting a regular-season scoring average of more than 9.4 points per game, the 26-year-old has dominated the 2023 postseason.
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Vincent has played in the first four games of the series with Boston, averaging 17.5 points per contest.
Even though the Heat will still have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo available for Game 5, Vincent has likely been their third-most crucial player during the playoffs.
With a 3-1 series advantage, the Heat have some room for error, but they surely want to defeat the Celtics and guarantee their place in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in Boston.
The Heat will be greatly impacted by his absence, especially after he had a standout performance in Miami's 128-102 victory in Game 3.
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