A calf injury will sideline Luol Deng for a third consecutive game when the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the team confirmed.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said Deng is getting better, but the small forward won't return until he's 100 percent. "He still feels a little bit of something," Spoelstra said.
Deng is averaging 14.3 points, five rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in his first season with the Heat, who are also currently without Dwyane Wade.
The Heat need a healthy Deng if they're to improve their disappointing standing in the Eastern Conference, as the team has started Danny Granger in his absence. The Heat perform 7.3 points per 100 possessions better with Deng on the court as opposed to on the bench, according to Basketball Reference.
Deng's base numbers are down thanks to reduced minutes and usage in Miami, but he's shot the ball as well as ever, connecting on 49.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 37.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. The 29-year-old is posting career highs in effective field goal percentage (54.5) and true shooting percentage (57.8).
