Two Heat Players Sidelined

Dan Majerle and Brent Barry were put on the injured list Friday by the Miami Heat, who activated guard Rex Walters and forward Antonio Lang for the final two regular-season games.

Majerle, who has averaged 7.2 points in 26.8 minutes despite playing with a chronically sore back, injured a groin muscle last week. He’ll almost certainly be included on the playoff roster and will be activated in time for next week’s first-round playoff games.

Barry suffered a severely sprained right ankle in practice this week. It was put in a cast and his status for the playoffs is doubtful.

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Dale Ellis, who leads the NBA in three-point shooting, was put on the injured list for the Seattle SuperSonics’ final two regular-season games because of a strained abdominal muscle.

Ellis, who is shooting 46.4% from three-point range while averaging 11.8 points, will be ready when the SuperSonics open their first-round playoff series at home next Friday night.

To take Ellis’ place on the roster, Seattle activated James Cotton from the injured list.

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Joe Dumars, the only remaining member of the Detroit Piston championship teams of 1989 and 1990, announced he will return to the team for one more season before retiring.

Team president Tom Wilson has said Dumars will have a front-office job waiting for him when he retires.

Dumars played Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, tying Isiah Thomas’ team record of 979 games played.

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A judge in Houston will hold a hearing Monday to determine if Vernon Maxwell should be freed from jail to rejoin the Charlotte Hornets for the playoffs.

Maxwell surrendered to Harris County authorities this past Monday to begin serving a 90-day sentence resulting from a 1995 marijuana possession case.

But state District Judge Jay Burnett will consider a request that Maxwell should be free on bond while the court reviews whether the NBA player was improperly represented in 1995.