Kyle Lowry clears protocol, Heat sign three more players / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports Credit Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry cleared the COVID-19 protocol and is available to play in Friday night's road game against the Houston Rockets.

Kyle Lowry

MIN:34.82PTS:13.81 (50.23%)REB:4.58As:8.06ST:0.94BL:0.42TO:3.16GM:31ProfileNBA2021/2022

Lowry has missed Miami's past two games and also would have missed Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs before that contest was postponed due to the Heat not having the minimum eight players.

Lowry, 35, is averaging 13.9 points and 8.2 assists in 31 games in his first season with the Heat. The six-time All-Star guard was acquired from the Toronto Raptors in the offseason.

Even with Lowry's removal, Miami still has seven players in the protocol: Zylan Cheatham, Marcus Garrett, Udonis Haslem, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent.

In addition, four players are out due to injuries, including Bam Adebayo (thumb). Star Jimmy Butler (ankle) is questionable.

Miami also announced the additions of three players to 10-day contracts through the COVID-19 hardship clause: guards Mario Chalmers and Nik Stauskas and forward Chris Silva.

Chalmers, 35, had been out of the NBA since the 2017-18 season. He previously played on two championship teams in seven-plus seasons with the Heat from 2008-16. He has played in the fourth-most games (525) in franchise history.

Chalmers has career averages of 8.9 points and 3.7 assists in 646 games over nine seasons.

Stauskas, 28, has a 6.8 scoring average in 335 games over five NBA seasons (2014-19), while Silva has played in 60 games over parts of three seasons, 55 of them for the Heat. He has averages of 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds.

Miami previously signed three journeymen -- guard Kyle Guy, big man Aric Holman and forward Haywood Highsmith -- to 10-day contracts earlier this week.

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