ORLANDO, Fla. – Magic coach Stan Gundy said that he will start forward Ryan Anderson against Miami in place of Brandon Bass, who sustained a left ankle sprain earlier this week.
Anderson will start in Thursday night's national television matchup with the Southeast Division-leading Heat. It will be Anderson's fifth start of the season. Bass went down in the Magic's 100-97 loss to Memphis on Monday night. He is expected to miss at least the next five games and may be out until the all-star break.
Van Gundy says that he may make some adjustments on a night-to-night basis while Bass is out, but that his absence will mean increased minutes for reserve forward Earl Clark and Malik Allen, who hasn't played since Dec. 20 with an ankle sprain.