Butler, Williamson injuries are part of story for Heat-Bulls and Kings-Pelicans play-in finales

MIAMI (AP) — When injuries affect the Miami Heat, coach Erik Spoelstra almost always delivers the same three-word outlook.

“We have enough,” he says.

That theory is about to be tested — and will be a theme in the NBA's win-or-go-home finales of the play-in tournament on Friday night.

All four teams — Miami and Chicago in the Eastern Conference, New Orleans and Sacramento in the Western Conference — have serious injury concerns going into their matchups to decide the No. 8 seeds on the playoff bracket. Miami and New Orleans have home-court edges Friday; the winners will face No. 1 Boston and No. 1 Oklahoma City, respectively, in Round 1, starting Sunday.

The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler (sprained right MCL) and Terry Rozier (neck) for their game against the Bulls, who had guard Alex Caruso go down to a sprained ankle in Wednesday's win over Atlanta. Miami is hoping guard Duncan Robinson, who has missed 10 of the team's last 15 games with a back injury, can play.

“We will do this the hard way,” Spoelstra said. “That has to be the path right now. We’re going to rest up, treat up, rally around each other up and get ready for Friday and again, embrace these competitive games. It’ll be competitive in front of our home fans and we’re going to bring a hell of a game on Friday night lights and do this the hard way. That’s just the way the deal is right now.”

The Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson, who scored 40 points in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night before injuring his left hamstring in the final minutes. On Wednesday, the team announced Williamson would be sidelined at least two weeks.

“It was tough news, for sure,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “But the message to the team is that we faced adversity before and here it is again, staring us right in the eyes. And this is an opportunity that we can take advantage of.”

The Kings, meanwhile, have been without would-be starters Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk in recent weeks because of injuries.

Sacramento got into the West play-in finale by ousting Golden State on Tuesday. New Orleans missed a chance to be the West’s No. 7 seed by falling to the Lakers on Tuesday.

“These one-game series in the playoffs now, for us, it fits us,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “It fits our identity.”

The Bulls-Heat game is a rematch of the East play-in finale last year, a game Chicago led by three with 3:47 left and got outscored 15-1 the rest of the way.

“I remember that plane ride back home vividly,” Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan said. “Everybody was just frustrated. That feeling sucked. I know for me, that's one thing that's on my mind once I realized we were going back to Miami — to not have that same feeling.”

EASTERN CONFERENCE

NO. 9 CHICAGO (39-43, 1-0) AT NO. 8 MIAMI (46-36, 0-1)

Friday, 7 p.m., ESPN

Season series: Split, 2-2

Play-in appearances: 2nd for Miami (2023), 2nd for Chicago (2023).

At stake: Winner plays No. 1 seed Boston in Round 1, series starting Sunday. Loser is eliminated.

Outlook: Here they go again. Just like last year, it's Chicago at Miami with the No. 8 seed in the East on the line in an elimination game. The Heat have huge injury issues with Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson ailing, and the Bulls had to finish Wednesday's game without Alex Caruso. No Bulls team has gone to the playoffs with a losing regular-season record since the 1986-87 team did it at 40-42. Miami made the finals last season after 44 regular season wins; this season, 46 wins might not even be enough for a playoff berth.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

NO. 9 SACRAMENTO (46-36, 1-0) AT NO. 7 NEW ORLEANS (49-33, 0-1)

Friday, 9:30 p.m., TNT

Season series: Pelicans, 5-0 (includes one In-Season Tournament win)

Play-in appearances: 1st for Sacramento; 3rd for New Orleans (2022, 2023).

At stake: Winner plays No. 1 seed Oklahoma City in Round 1, series starting Sunday. Loser is eliminated.

Outlook: One way or another, New Orleans will make history on Friday. Either the Pelicans will become the first team to go 6-0 in a season (without a playoff series) against an opponent since Denver against Minnesota in 1994-95, or will become the second team in NBA history to go 49-33 or better and not make the playoffs (joining the 1971-72 Phoenix Suns, who went 49-33). The Pelicans will be without the injured Zion Williamson (hamstring) and the Kings will still be without Kevin Huerter (shoulder) and Malik Monk (knee). New Orleans has had leads of 15 points in all five games (15, 17, 23, 41 and 50) and the Kings led only one of the five matchups by more than nine points at any time.

AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) celebrates with Harrison Barnes (40) during the second half of the team's NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, left, celebrates with forward DeMar DeRozan after scoring against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game in Chicago, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Bulls won 131-116. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler, right, gets treatment on his right knee from the training staff during the first half of the team's NBA basketball play-in tournament game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 105-104. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket ahead of Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the second half of an NBA basketball play-in tournament game Tuesday, April 16, 2024, in New Orleans. The Lakers won 110-106. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Butler, Williamson injuries are part of story for Heat-Bulls and Kings-Pelicans play-in finales

Butler, Williamson injuries are part of story for Heat-Bulls and Kings-Pelicans play-in finales

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia's weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow find workarounds to earlier penalties, and individuals linked to the death of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The actions by the departments of Treasury and State target Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and companies in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action “will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.”

The Senate, meanwhile, gave final approval to legislation barring imports of Russian uranium, boosting U.S. efforts to disrupt Russia’s war in Ukraine. Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law.

About 12% of the uranium used to produce electricity at U.S. nuclear power plants is imported from Russia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said Wednesday that Biden shares lawmakers’ concerns about U.S. reliance on Russia for low-enriched uranium to support its domestic nuclear fleet.

Included in the administration's announcement are importers of cotton cellulose and nitrocellulose, which are used to produce gunpowder, rocket propellants and other explosives. The penalties also target Russian government entities and people tied to Russia's chemical and biological weapons programs, companies related to Russia's natural gas construction projects and three workers at the penal colony where Navalny died.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has railed against earlier rounds of U.S. and Western penalties, claiming they are “illegitimate sanctions” on his country.

A group of 16 targets in China and Hong Kong, most of which are related to Russian procurement workarounds, are named by the Biden administration.

Yellen traveled to Guangzhou and Beijing last month to warn Chinese officials that they “must not provide material support for Russia’s war and that they will face significant consequences if they do."

China has said it is not providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although Beijing has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow, alongside India and other countries, as the West imposes sanctions.

Companies in China, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were accused of helping Russia acquire technology and equipment from abroad. The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.

Biden last week said he would immediately rush badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hot spots.

The upcoming uranium ban is also expected to impact Russian revenues by at least $1 billion. The U.S. banned Russian oil imports after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 but did not against uranium, despite frequent calls to do so by U.S. lawmakers in both parties.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the import ban “a tremendous victory” and said it “will help defund Russia’s war machine, revive American uranium production and jumpstart investments in America’s nuclear fuel supply chain.″

“Wyoming has the uranium to replace Russian imports, and we’re ready to use it,″ Barrasso added.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who heads that Senate committee, said it was "unconscionable” for the U.S. to help make it possible for Putin to “finance his unlawful war against Ukraine” through U.S. reliance on Russian uranium.

Besides the import ban, the legislation frees up $2.7 billion in previously authorized funding to ramp up domestic uranium production.

FILE- This June 6, 2019, file photo shows the U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington. The United States has imposed new sanctions on hundreds of firms and people tied to Russia’s weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese firms accused of helping Russia find workarounds to sanctions and individuals tied to the death of Russian dissident Alexey Navalny. The sanctions imposed Wednesday by the Treasury and State departments target Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and firms in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)