How long is Gabe Vincent out? Injury update on ankle sprain with Heat guard out for Game 5

Gilbert McGregor

How long is Gabe Vincent out? Injury update on ankle sprain with Heat guard out for Game 5 image

The Heat will be down another starter when they attempt to close out the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

In Game 4 of the series, Gabe Vincent went down with an ankle injury, forcing him to briefly exit the game before he returned to the floor. After a day of travel, Vincent's status has taken a turn for the worse.

What's next for Vincent and the Heat, who are one win away from the NBA Finals? Here is what we know about Vincent's status moving forward.

MORE: The latest news on Tyler Herro's return from injury

What is Gabe Vincent's injury?

In the fourth quarter of Miami's Game 4 loss to Boston on May 23, Vincent appeared to roll his ankle as he tried to recover his 3-point attempt that had just been blocked. A review of the play shows that Vincent rolled his ankle by landing awkwardly, though he did not land on anyone's foot.

Here is the play in which Vincent was injured:

His injury has officially been ruled as a left ankle sprain.

This has been a breakout postseason for Vincent. After averaging 9.4 points per game during the regular season, he has scored 15 or more points in eight of 15 playoff games, including a 29-point performance in Miami's blowout Game 3 win over Boston.

How long will Gabe Vincent be out?

Vincent's recovery time will depend on the severity of his ankle sprain. Generally speaking, there are three types of ankle sprains. Grade 1 is mild, Grade 2 is moderate and Grade 3 is severe.

If Vincent's sprain is on the lower end of the scale, he could be ruled active for Miami's next game, which would either be Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday, May 27, or Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 1.

Celtics vs. Heat schedule

Here is the complete schedule for the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals:

Date Game Time (ET) TV channel
May 17 Heat 123, Celtics 116 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 19 Heat 111, Celtics 105 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 21 Heat 128, Celtics 102 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 23 Celtics 116, Heat 99 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 25 Game 5 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 27 Game 6* 8:30 p.m. TNT
May 29 Game 7* 8:30 p.m. TNT

*If necessary

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.