NBA

Is Caleb Martin playing tonight (May 10) in Game 5 vs the New York Knicks?

Cableb Martin pic

Tonight, the Miami Heat have a chance to close out their series vs the New York Knicks in five games. The Heat have won their last two games in a row and the Knicks have their backs against the wall tonight. Miami is expected to have the same starting lineup as last game, but they may be without a key contributor off the bench. Caleb Martin is listed as questionable tonight with a nagging back injury.ย 

Head coach Eric Spoelstra has kept his playoff rotation at about seven to nine players each game. For Game 5 in New York tonight, Caleb Martin is questionable and that could increase other players’ roles. In their win on Monday night, Martin and Kyle Lowry both came off the bench and played 26 minutes.

NBA betting sites have the Miami Heat at (+138) to win Game 5 on the road at MSG tonight.

Caleb Martin is questionable tonight in Game 5 for the Heat due to a nagging back injury

In the 2023 playoffs, Caleb Martin has been a key piece off the bench for the Miami Heat. Tyler Herro got injured in Game 1 of the first round vs the Milwaukee Bucks. That increased Martin’s role and he played a big role in Miami being able to beat the Bucks in four games.

Martin started for an injured Jimmy Butler in Game 3 of this series and put up his best numbers so far this postseason. He had 22/8/1 in Miami’s loss to the Knicks. That is the only loss the Heat have in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.

In nine games played and one start this postseason, Martin is averaging (11.1) points, (5.6) rebounds, and (1.6) assists. His (.378) three-point percentage is better than the (.356) percent he shot in the regular season. Luckily for the Heat, Martin not playing should not make or break whether the Heat gets a win tonight. Jimmy Butler has not scored 30+ points in this series vs the Knicks and there’s a strong chance he could do that tonight.