The Heat took care of business on Wednesday, beating the struggling New Orleans Pelicans. Jimmy Butler returned, but it was Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo who stole the show.
Main points:
• Tyler Herro went off for 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 21 in the second half
• Bam Adebayo closed out the game with clutch buckets in the final minutes
• The Heat were without Terry Rozier but still got the job done
• Miami moves up to 6th in the East and has won 4 of their last 5 games
Look, this wasn’t exactly a statement win against a powerhouse team. The Pelicans are banged up and struggling. But you gotta beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, and the Heat did just that.
Herro and Bam stepped up big time. This is why Miami is paying these guys the big bucks. When Butler isn’t at 100%, they need their young stars to carry the load. And boy, did they deliver.
The Heat’s offense was humming, especially that dribble handoff game between Bam and the shooters. It was like watching the Orlando “bubble” Heat all over again, but even better now that Herro and Duncan Robinson can share the floor.
Speaking of Duncan, he was on fire too. The spacing those two provide is just ridiculous. When Herro and Duncan are both hitting shots, good luck stopping this offense.
Butler clearly wasn’t himself in his first game back. He looked sluggish out there and didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. Spo said they’re managing his minutes, but it’s something to keep an eye on. It’s also hard to say - and only Jimmy knows for certain - whether it was due to a lack of conditioning after a 13-day layoff or if he just wasn’t willing to be aggressive. It’s too soon to tell if Jimmy has checked out for the season and doesn’t want to play here, given that he was recovering from a serious illness. He’ll have a chance to have a bounce-back game on Thursday, when the Heat host the Indiana Pacers.
The young guys stepped up big time. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and Kel’el Ware all made solid contributions. It’s great to see the Heat getting production from their first-round picks for once.
Bottom line: The Heat are trending in the right direction. They’re winning games they should win and getting contributions up and down the roster. If they can keep this up and get Jimmy back to form, watch out Eastern Conference.
