Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade believes his surgically-repaired left knee is progressing ahead of schedule and plans to play in his third preseason game Thursday against the Detroit Pistons.
Wade had arthroscopic surgery July 9 after playing through pain in the knee during the Heat's playoff run to an NBA title last season. Wade was uncertain how many preseason games he would play, but he grew more optimistic after the first week of training camp.
After missing the Heat's Oct. 7 preseason opener against the Atlanta Hawks, Wade started both exhibition games against the Los Angeles Clippers. He played more than 23 minutes in Wednesday's win against the Clippers and then played a little more than eight minutes in Sunday's loss.
"I feel ahead of schedule," Wade said. "If I continue to keep progressing, I'm going to try to play as much as possible but try to be smart as well. I want to play Thursday, get back out there and continue to get my legs under me ... so I can be ready for opening night."
The Heat play their season and home opener Oct. 30 against Boston. That's the game Wade had targeted to be ready for when the Heat started training camp Sept. 29.
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