Shane Battier injury: Heat forward to miss game vs. Wizards

Miami Heat forward Shane Battier will miss the team's game against the Washington Wizards with a knee injury, according to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. This will be the third straight game that Battier has sat after he suffered the injury in the Heat's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 24.

In his absence, the Heat will start former Wizard Rashard Lewis alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh in the frontcourt. Lewis played in just 14 minutes in the Heat's win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. Udonis Haslem will probably see more time off the bench, and you can also expect to see the Heat roll with small lineups that place Dwyane Wade at small forward and James at power forward.

It remains to be seen if Randy Wittman sticks with his same starting lineup. Does he want Kevin Seraphin or Emeka Okafor to be chasing Lewis and/or James on the perimeter? If not, one would think that Chris Singleton could be elevated to play with the first team.

Click here for Washington Wizards tickets for tonight's game.