Kyle Lowry officially returns for Game 3

Jared Weiss: Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker are starting, per Heat.
Source: Twitter @JaredWeissNBA

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
Great moments in NBA transcript history …
Q. You’ve been in the league a lot of years.
KYLE LOWRY: Damn, dog, thanks. – 12:29 AM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
The Heat don’t win this game tonight without this shot from Max Strus
He said after the game that Lowry was the one that said, “let’s run a pindown for Max.”
This saved the game pic.twitter.com/XaTNRH1dK4 – 12:15 AM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s 109-103 victory in Boston: sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h…
1. A rollercoaster night.
2. Butler again with knee issue.
3. Adebayo steps up as leading man.
4. Lowry returns as stabilizing force.
5. Tucker grits and grinds in grit-and-grind game. – 12:11 AM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Ime Udoka calls Kyle Lowry the head of the snake on Miami’s transition dominance.
“Scoring 33 points on our 24 turnovers is hard to overcome.” – 11:34 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Credit to the Heat. Everything was going against them and they made all the plays down the stretch. Kyle Lowry is such an incredible pain in the ass. And that’s a compliment. – 11:23 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Heat win 109-103. Lead series 2-1
Brown – 40 points
Horford – 20 points
Smart – 16 points
Tatum – 10 points
Celtics – 24 turnovers
Adebayo – 31/10/6/4
Tucker – 17 points
Strus – 16 points
Lowry – 11 points
Heat – 19 steals – 11:20 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Jimmy Butler out for the 2nd half
Tyler Herro struggles and sits late
Bam Adebayo leads them in dominating fashion
Victor Oladipo comes up as the true X-factor
PJ Tucker imposes his defensive will
Max Strus hits in big moments
Kyle Lowry settles them throughout
What a game – 11:18 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
What a Bam Adebayo performance. 31 points on 15/22, scoring from everywhere. I know Heat fans wish Bam could this nightly but without Butler in the second half, a still-limited Lowry, and a cold Herro, this couldn’t have come at a more perfect moment. – 11:18 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
Hell of a fight from the Heat down the stretch to hang on. Big plays by Lowry, huge shot by Strus. All eyes turn to Butler’s knee now — and his status moving forward. – 11:17 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Kyle Lowry is back. And as the rust wears off, more big plays like that will be made. – 11:09 PM Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh
Kyle Lowry. – 11:09 PM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
LOWRY STOLE THE BALL!!! IT’S ALL OVER!
(one time to Johnny Most lol) – 11:09 PM Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
KYLE. LOWRY. – 11:08 PM Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
Kyle F. Lowry. – 11:08 PM Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Lowry forces the #Celtics 24th turnover stealing the inbounds and the #Heat are close to sealing Game 3. – 11:08 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
That play by Kyle Lowry perfectly sums up this game. – 11:08 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Kyle Lowry. Just a gritty, intelligent dude. – 11:08 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Kyle Lowry with that hamstring
Dives on the floor for that ball
Wow – 11:04 PM Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics break even with #Heat in 3Q, despite no Jimmy Butler trail 87-72. Brown 26, Horford 20, Smart 12, Tatum 9; Adebayo 23, Tucker 11, Strus 11, Lowry 10. – 10:28 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
The big question coming into this series for the Heat was who would step up and help Jimmy?
The bigger question now is where do they turn without him on the floor? Late in the game — the answer may have to come from Lowry — who is playing for the first time in almost two weeks – 10:21 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Pritchard comes in for the injured Marcus Smart, Heat immediately put him into a pick-and-roll like it’s Game 1 all over again, Kyle Lowry wide open 3. ruthless. – 10:06 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
On the replay, Marcus Smart rolled his right ankles, but Kyle Lowry also kind of fell into his knee.
Not sure which one was the actual injury causing Smart so much pain. Possibly both. Right ankle definitely rolled badly. – 10:04 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Looked like Kyle Lowry landed on Marcus Smart’s knee and Smart’s ankle rolled as he hit the floor. He’s back to the locker room a minute after Jimmy Butler was ruled out of the game with knee inflammation. – 10:03 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Replay shows, at the very least, a sprained right ankle for Smart. But he landed hard on that and had Lowry falling on top of him as well. – 10:03 PM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Victor Oladipo back out of the rotation with Kyle Lowry back and Duncan Robinson playing – 9:46 PM Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
Halftime: Heat 62, Celtics 47
– Lowry making a big impact in limited minutes. Heat are +14 in his 11:43
– Bam has as many points (16) as first two games combined.
– Feels like a win for Boston to get the lead to within 20. Heat will need to come out strong in the 3Q. – 9:44 PM Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics score 10 pts in the final 1:30 and slice deficit to 62-47 at half. Brown 15, Horford 12, Tatum 8; Adebayo 16, Butler 8, Tucker 8, Strus 8, Lowry 5. – 9:43 PM Doug Smith @SmithRaps
Wonder how many hundreds of “hockey assists” over his career that Kyle Lowry’s throw ahead passes have resulted in for him? – 9:36 PM Mike Prada @MikePradaNBA
It’s really hard to beat Miami’s defense when your only method of rim pressure is going off the dribble from beyond the 3. They built their defense to stop those spread-and-attack offenses. With Lowry back, Rob out, and Miami no longer trapping high, that’s what Boston has become – 9:36 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
Bam Adebayo has as many points in the first half of this game – 16 – as he did in the first two games of this series combined.
This version of Bam showing up, plus getting Kyle Lowry back, has poured a ton of energy into the Heat, who are getting whatever they want at both ends. – 9:36 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Celtics having some success going right at Lowry. Smart got a bucket on him in the post, which hardly anybody can do when Lowry’s right. Then Brown drove by him for a layup. Something to watch moving forward. – 9:25 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Per Heat: Kyle Lowry is OK. He’s in the back keeping warm while off the court. – 9:14 PM Joe Vardon @joevardon
Apparently Kyle Lowry is going to be in the locker room or at least the tunnel on the bike/otherwise staying warm when he is not in the game, per the Heat’s official Twitter account. Lowry looked great in his first few minutes. – 9:08 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
Lowry is warming up by the Heat locker room. He’s OK, per Heat – 9:01 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Kyle Lowry went back to the locker room after checking out for Gabe Vincent. – 8:57 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
What a perfect start for the Heat. Lowry playing well, Bam engaged, going 3-for-3 from 3-point range and forcing three turnovers for four quick points. Miami up 24-7 halfway through the first, and the crowd here has been shocked into silence. – 8:57 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Lowry headed back to the locker room? That’s interesting to see. – 8:55 PM Kellan Olson @KellanOlson
Heat’s defense to offense transition is just awesome to start this game. With Lowry back and Bam playing well plus Jimmy, that’s all 3 positions pushing it up the floor.
(As you can tell, I love watching Miami play.) – 8:54 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Gabe Vincent in as sixth man, giving Lowry an early breather. Spoelstra said this would not be a 40-minute game for Lowry. – 8:54 PM Mark Murphy @Murf56
Lowry is still protesting the call on Adebayo, and right now he’s in a little debate with Ime Udoka – 8:53 PM Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
Heat needed a strong start from Bam — and they’ve gotten it. He’s 4-for-5 from the field and has been much more aggressive offensively. Lowry has provided a stabilizing presence on both ends of the floor and seems to be moving well. – 8:52 PM Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
The Heat are shooting it well, but their general swag level is just noticeably higher with Lowry out there. – 8:52 PM Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
Kyle Lowry is not only back but he looks healthy – 8:51 PM Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt
Immediate impact for Heat with Kyle Lowry back in the starting lineup for Heat. Dictating pace, finding open shooters, hitting a 3, controlling offense, pressuring D. – 8:50 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
A great start for the Heat, not just because they lead 16-4, but Kyle Lowry looks fantastic. Has setup a couple buckets, buried a 3, has Miami playing quicker and getting up the court faster. Couldn’t have asked for more to start this game. – 8:50 PM Chris Miller @cmillsnbcs
Kyle Lowry X-Factor – 8:49 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
By the way:
Derrick White being out in game 2 was discussed more than the absence of Kyle Lowry
Insane – 8:49 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
Kyle Lowry is everywhere. Forced Tatum into that turnover after hitting a 3. Heat up 16-4 less than four minutes in. – 8:49 PM John Karalis @John_Karalis
Lowry make such a different pace-wise. No excuse for Boston to give up that Butler layup in transition but Lowry is always looking for that kind of play. That’s a much different element now than G1 or 2 – 8:47 PM Mike Prada @MikePradaNBA
“FYI all: that’s Kyle Lowry playing tonight. Remember him? This is what he does.” -Ime, probably – 8:46 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Jimmy Butler running off a make, Lowry gets the inbound & hits him with the perfect kick ahead. The JBs on both sides of this series often control the flow of the game with their leak outs in transition and Butler is setting the tone early creating fast breaks out of nothing. – 8:46 PM Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
Encouraging start for Kyle Lowry. Grabbing rebounds. On time with switches. Had one glitch trying to find Bam but got Butler on the hit-ahead after a Celtics make. – 8:46 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
The pace is noticeably different when Kyle Lowry is in there. – 8:45 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Well Lowry is clearly back
You can see the pace shifting – 8:44 PM Jay King @ByJayKing
The Lowry impact immediately. He pushes the pace after a miss, finds Strus open for 3. – 8:42 PM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
The return of Kyle Lowry will be a fascinating subplot to both this game, and this series. If Lowry looks like he did against Philadelphia last round, he won’t offer much help. But if he can be close to 100 percent, it offers the Heat a route back into this series. – 8:40 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
The starting lineup that is back intact for Heat tonight – Butler, Tucker, Bam, Lowry, Strus – has outscored teams by 49 points in a combined 111 minutes as a quintet this year (regular season and playoffs). They’ve shot an impressive 39 for 80 as a unit on threes. – 8:18 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
With tonight starts, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry both tie Terry Porter for 79th on the all-time NBA playoff games-started list, moving them past Moses Malone and Dennis Rodman. – 8:15 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker back for Heat, starting in Game 3 Saturday in Boston in East finals. sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… – 8:12 PM Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt
Starting lineups for Celtics and Heat. Theis in for Robert Williams and Lowry and Tucker starting for Heat: pic.twitter.com/fWqzSlXT4F – 8:08 PM Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
Heat at Celtics – TD Garden – May 21, 2022 – Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 – Starters
Boston – Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Theis
Miami – Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker, Bam Adebayo
OUT: Boston: R. Williams, Hauser Miami: None pic.twitter.com/naUzRCESlq – 8:08 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics starters for Game 3:
Daniel Theis
Al Horford
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Heat starters:
Bam Adebayo
P.J. Tucker
Jimmy Butler
Max Strus
Kyle Lowry – 8:05 PM Joe Vardon @joevardon
The Miami Heat will start Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and PJ Tucker (knee) in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight against Boston. This is Lowry’s first appearance since Game 4 of last round. – 8:05 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker are available and starting tonight for the Heat miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… On the other side, the Celtics will be missing a starter in Game 3 – 8:04 PM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
Let me just say Kyle Lowry coming off the bench tonight made absolutely zero sense in theory
Anyway, Lowry and Tucker both starting with the usual crew – 8:02 PM Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker are starting, per Heat. – 8:01 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker in the Heat’s starting lineup. Heat has entire 15-man roster available for tonight’s Game 3. – 8:01 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker are playing and starting for the Heat tonight in Boston. Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Max Strus the other starters. – 8:00 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Lowry and Tucker both on the court shooting at the moment. Shooting like they mean it. But have not seen any attempt at sharp movements by Lowry. But he just made seven consecutive threes, so there’s that. – 7:51 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Erik Spoelstra said he hasn’t gotten an update on any of the Heat’s questionable players yet.
This includes Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent. – 7:04 PM Mark Murphy @Murf56
Both coaches playing it close to the vest re: injuries. Spoelstra said he has until 8 pm when he turns in his lineup card to make a call on Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker – 7:03 PM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
It looks like Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker will play tonight in Boston miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 4:11 PM JD Shaw @JShawNBA
Kyle Lowry Intends To Return In Game 3; Robert Williams III Questionable ⁦@HoopsRumors⁩ hoopsrumors.com/2022/05/kyle-l… – 2:07 PM Tas Melas @TasMelas
Is it possible Kyle Lowry would come off the bench as @Adrian Wojnarowski suggested the other day? – 1:46 PM Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
ICYMI, Friday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We discuss @betonline_ag‘s intriguingly/alarmingly high odds of Kyrie becoming a Laker, a fake Russ/Lowry trade, and Austin Reaves getting All-Rookie votes. @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out… – 12:49 PM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Spoelstra says Lowry, Tucker both to warm up “with the intention to play” nba.nbcsports.com/2022/05/21/spo… – 12:38 PM Joe Vardon @joevardon
Heat’s Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker are going to try to play in Game 3 tonight against the Celtics. So expect them both to be out there, ⁦@The Athletic⁩ theathletic.com/news/heat-lowr… – 12:27 PM Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Kyle Lowry injury: Heat guard will warm up ‘with intent to play’ Game 3 against Celtics masslive.com/celtics/2022/0… – 12:23 PM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker back in Heat mix ahead of East finals Game 3 in Boston. sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… Erik Spoelstra stresses Lowry had not reinjured hamstring. – 12:20 PM The Vertical @YahooSportsNBA
The Miami Heat say Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and PJ Tucker (knee) will warm up with the intent to play in Game 3 tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/ixQ0CAI9oq – 11:58 AM Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on the availability of Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker: “They are both going to do their whole routine with the intention of playing” in Game 3 tonight vs. the Celtics. He said they were both involved in the morning shootaround at the Garden. – 11:58 AM JD Shaw @JShawNBA
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says both Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and P.J. Tucker (knee) will go through their pre-game routines with the intent to play against Boston tonight. – 11:50 AM Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Per Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) and P.J. Tucker (knee) will go through their routines with the intent to play in tonight’s Game 3 vs the Celtics.
Heat could be whole tonight. – 11:44 AM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
I know there was the report from Woj about Lowry possibly coming off the bench
But it feels like that’s just adding another guy to take the ball out of Herro’s hands when he enters
Personally feel it’s the usual starting lineup with Lowry tonight
Plus Bam needs him right now – 11:42 AM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Spoelstra emphasizes that Lowry was not reinjured against 76ers, and that the healing has been ongoing. He said if Lowry was reinjured a return would not be possible. – 11:41 AM Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
So Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker will warm up tonight with the intention to play – 11:36 AM Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Spoelstra stops short of saying Lowry will start if he plays …. but he will. – 11:35 AM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
Former Heat center discusses his “concern” with Bam; former NBA guard on what Spoelstra must do to fix situation; Tucker hoping to play; Lowry in play to play; Martin; Heat zone; more: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 9:49 AM

More on this storyline

Barry Jackson: Tucker and Lowry still on track to play barring something unforeseen -via Twitter @flasportsbuzz / May 21, 2022 Ira Winderman: Spoelstra says Lowry and Tucker will warm up tonight “with the intention to play.” -via Twitter @IraHeatBeat / May 21, 2022 Tim Reynolds: Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker both listed as questionable for Game 3. -via Twitter @ByTimReynolds / May 20, 2022