Brendan Haywood is still a game-time decision for Tuesday's Game 4 against the Heat, but Mavs beat writer Tim MacMahon thinks he will play.

MacMahon qualifies his thoughts a few times, but he generally has a good pulse on the Mavs and what they're doing. Either way, we'll know shortly whether or not he will play, and if he doesn't go, the Mavs will turn once again to Ian Mahinmi for spot minutes.

Brendan Haywood will test his injured hip prior to the tip of Game 4, which will determine whether or not he will be active.

Haywood said, "if I can sprint, I'll play; if I can't sprint, I'm hurting the team." Only the big man knows whether or not he'll be able to play tonight, but he previously said that he'd go as long as he's at least 70 percent. We will have official word on his status closer to game time, and it's still unclear whether or not he'll be out there.

An MRI revealed that Brendan Haywood's right hip flexor swelling has gone down but he remains a game-time decision.

There's still a strain, or partial tear, in Haywood's hip flexor. He said he would need to be at about 70 percent to play, and it's still unclear if he'll get there. If Haywood can't go, Ian Mahinmi would be forced into action again as a major liability behind Tyson Chandler.

Despite moving well in Monday's practice, Brendan Haywood will undergo an MRI on his injured hip before being cleared to play again.

If all goes well with the test, Game 4 is not out of the question on Tuesday. But if anything out of the ordinary is spotted, he could be shut down. In other words, he's still questionable for Game 4.

Brendan Haywood's hip injury looked much better on Monday and he was said to be moving well in practice.

Yes, he's still stiff, as well as questionable for Game 4, but it does sound like there's a chance he'll play. And the Mavs could use his rebounding, despite winning the glass 42-36 in Game 3.

Brendan Haywood (hip) will be inactive for Sunday's Game 3 vs. Miami.

Although this isn't exactly a crushing blow to the Mavericks chances of winning the game, it does suddenly thrust Ian Mahinmi into relevance just in case Tyson Chandler gets into foul trouble. To take Haywood's place, Rodrigue Beaubois is active for the first time in the series and it should be interesting to see if he actually sees any minutes in the rotation.

Brendan Haywood remains questionable to play in Game 3 on Sunday, but he said he is "going to wake up in the morning and hopefully be miraculously healed."

Ian Mahinmi is on deck for the Mavericks, in case Haywood doesn't get his miracle, but Dallas is also prepared to deploy smaller lineups -- at one point late in Game 2 they used J.J. Barea, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Dirk Nowitzki.

Brendan Haywood (hip flexor) did not participate in contact drills on Saturday and remains a game-time decision for Sunday.

Haywood is officially day-to-day but a Mavericks official expressed optimism earlier in the day, and he was at least able to ride a stationary bike. Check back after shootaround on Sunday for the latest.

Brendan Haywood (right hip flexor) should be available for Game 3 on Sunday, according to a Mavericks official.

There's always a chance that he will aggravate the injury by playing, but we'll have a better feel for Haywood's status after practice on Saturday. In a dogfight for a championship, the Mavericks surely want his toughness, rebounding, and defense off the bench.

Brendan Haywood (right hip flexor) is listed as day-to-day and is questionable heading into Sunday's Game 3 matchup against the Heat.

"We'll know more tomorrow. He was not feeling well when he left the game," Rick Carlisle said." With the way he sped off the court after aggravating the injury his status for Sunday is certainly in doubt, and a game-time decision could be in the works if Dallas shows any gamesmanship. Ian Mahinmi is the next man up, and absent Haywood, look for more small lineups.

Brendan Haywood left Thursday's Game 2 early in the fourth quarter with a strained right hip flexor and is doubtful to return.

The Mavs will never be more thankful they have Tyson Chandler than they are right now, but Haywood was a defensive key for the Mavs. At this point, they just have to hope he'll play again in the series.

Brendan Haywood wasn't concerned about being dunked on by Kevin Durant during Game 2, but he lamented his team's poor perimeter defense.

"Everybody is going to remember the dunk, but it is more about how we lined up all night and got beat on basically one dribble," Haywood said. "There's no defense for that...I'm like, 'Peja, uh, can you close the gate a little bit maybe?'" He makes an excellent point, as the cagey Mavs' defense suddenly seems exploited by the speed and athleticism of OKC's wing players.

Brendan Haywood was inactive for Monday night's win over the Rockets.

The Mavs didn't need Haywood to match up with the smallish Rockets, so he took a seat. Whenever Tyson Chandler has been healthy this year, Haywood has been a non-factor.

Brendan Haywood scored just one point in Wednesday's loss, but exploded for a season-high 19 rebounds and five blocks in a start for injured Tyson Chandler (back).

Chandler is making his back injury seem minor and the Mavs need to win to hang onto their No. 3 seed in the West, but at this time of year anything is possible. Should Chandler miss another game, Haywood will be worth a look for his boards and blocks.

Brendan Haywood starting in place of Tyson Chandler (back) Sunday night, posted five points, 11 rebounds and one block.

Chandler is expecting to play on Wednesday, so we wouldn't make an add here. Haywood also air-balled a free throw and went 1-of-4 from the stripe. He is now 59-of-160 from the line this season -- 36.8 percent.

Brendan Haywood returned to action on Friday March 18.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle expects to have Brendan Haywood (back) in the rotation on Friday.

After a rather hideous stretch early this season, Haywood has started giving Dallas a reliable presence behind Tyson Chandler. His fantasy value is minimal, but his importance for Dallas will be heightened once the playoffs begin.

Brendan Haywood (back) could return Friday against the Spurs.

Haywood is no threat to Tyson Chandler anyway. His return would simply turn Ian Mahinmi into a third-stringer again.

Brendan Haywood (back) did not play on Tuesday against the Blazers.

Look for Tyson Chandler to get all the run he can handle, and there will be a few extra minutes for the rest of the frontcourt, too.

Brendan Haywood started for injured Tyson Chandler (ankle) on Monday, and scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting with 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block in 29 minutes.

This is better than most owners using him in spot duty expected, but unfortunately Chandler is saying that he expects to play in the Mavs' next game on Wednesday. If you're in a pinch you may want to wait for more confirmation from the team, but it appears Haywood's days of utility are done for now.