Heat coach Erik Spoelstra makes decision on Kyle Lowry for must-win Game 6 vs. Celtics

Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry is having a real rough go of it in the playoffs, and especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. After missing the first two games of the series, Lowry returned to help the Heat win Game 3, only to lay two giant duds in losses in Games 4 and 5. His struggles while playing hurt have some wondering if Erik Spoelstra should bench Lowry.

Well, Spoelstra is going to stick with his veteran. The Heat head coach said Friday morning ahead of Game 6 that he will stick with his normal starting lineup:

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

It’s not a huge surprise that Spoelstra is sticking with Lowry in the starting lineup. As bad as he has been, he has a championship pedigree and is a respected leader for this franchise, even despite just being with the Heat for one season.

However, Spoelstra must be ready to pull the plug early on Lowry if he doesn’t have it again. Gabe Vincent did an admirable job starting in place of Lowry when he missed playoff games with his hamstring injury, and Vincent had 15 points in 23 minutes in the Game 5 loss.

Lowry didn’t score a single point in Game 5 and only had three in Game 4. For the playoffs, he’s averaging just 5.6 points in 27.4 minutes per game while shooting 26.7% from the field and 20.5% from 3-point range.

Needless to say, Lowry needs to produce more in order to stay on the court. Otherwise, Spoelstra must be ready to bench his veteran leader as the Heat try to force a Game 7.