The Dallas Mavericks will be getting a bit of a boost tonight in Game 4 of the NBA Finals when they play host to the Miami Heat. Seven foot center Brendan Haywood is active tonight, per Earl K. Snead.
Carlisle says Brendan Haywood is active.
Haywood missed Game 3 thanks to a hip injury, and his status was in the air for Game 4 tonight. Haywood had been labeled as a game time decision, and would only be active and play if he felt near 70 percent strength.
This means that Ian Mahinmi will likely have his minutes reduced. Mahinmi played only eight minutes in the Game 3 loss to Miami, missing his only shot from the field while grabbing a single rebound. He did add two free throws to account for his only two points. Further, Mahinmi was -6 in his very limited minutes.
Haywood played in both the Game 1 loss and Game 2 win, but played only eight minutes in Game 2. We'll see how much he and his hip can play tonight as the Mavericks look to tie the series up against the Heat.