Deng, Dragic, Whiteside out for banged-up Heat; Wade will play

The Miami Heat should be kept away from slippery surfaces and anything that could remotely cause injury.

Starting small forward Luol Deng has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Sacramento Kings with a thigh contusion, his second straight contest out of action.

Point guard Goran Dragic will not play either due to a back contusion, and center Hassan Whiteside is out with a tweaked ankle.  

The good news for Miami is Dwyane Wade will play.

Deng and Wade both missed Friday's loss to the Washington Wizards. Miami could have used the duo, too. The Heat battled back from a 35-point deficit but were unable to pull off the comeback, falling 99-97 to the Wizards. 

Wade was listed out Friday with a hip injury, but downplayed the severity of it following the contest. The 11-time All-Star is averaging 20.7 points and a team-leading 5.3 assists in 43 games. 

Dragic injured his back in the loss and was already suffering from back problems. He's averaging 16.1 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the field and 5.1 assists in eight games since joining the Heat following a trade from the Phoenix Suns. 

Miami was also without guard Mario Chalmers on Friday due to knee soreness. 

The Heat are in need of healthy bodies as they fight for one of the remaining playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. There are six teams with a shot at the seventh and eighth seeds, with Miami sitting in ninth. Miami has the same winning percentage as the eighth-place Indiana Pacers, but has lost two of three head-to-head matchups versus Indiana with one important game for tie-breaking purposes remaining in April.