A day after he said air travel had aggravated his back injury, Heat forward Shawn Marion did not accompany the team Tuesday on its four-game trip.
It is unclear whether Marion would rejoin the team later, but his absence Tuesday almost certainly rules him out Wednesday against New York and Thursday against Detroit. The Heat plays Sunday at Boston and Monday at Indiana.
Point guard Jason Williams did travel after having a magnetic resonance test on his sprained right thumb. Williams sat out Monday against the Bucks and was expected to miss a week.
Marion has missed the past four games, and six of eight, with recurring back spasms. An MRI on Marion's back Monday was negative, but the team is taking precautions with 12 games left.
''He's got pain. He's had spasms and we just wanted to check it out,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said after Monday's victory against the Bucks.
Marion hopes to play again before the end of the season. But he said he understands coaches don't want to risk further damage. The Heat would like to give more minutes to prospects called up from the NBA Development League on 10-day contracts, such as forwards Kasib Powell and Stephane Lasme.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Powell still shares a locker with fellow D-League call-up Blake Ahearn, but at least he has his own name on the back of his jersey.
That was a luxury Powell didn't have Saturday when he made his Heat debut at Charlotte while wearing a nameless No. 22 jersey. But he wore No. 12 with his name on the back Monday against Milwaukee.
''The first thing I do now when I get in is look at my jersey, turn it around and see if my name's on it,'' he said. ``You can't take anything for granted.''
WEDNESDAY: HEAT AT KNICKS
• When: 7 p.m.
• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York.
• TV/radio: Sun Sports; WIOD (610), WQBA (1140 AM, Spanish).
• The series: Knicks lead 51-32.
posted by deadguy321
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