Game story:
After capturing another win last night against an Eastern Conference playoff contender in the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat welcome the San Antonio Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back.
Miami has improved to 27-24, good for the 7th seed in the East. They are also just 1.5 games back of the 6th seed, which would avoid that Play-In picture.
This organization has responded since dropping seven games in a row and being responsible of the longest franchise losing streak since 2008. If the Heat win tonight, they will snag their fourth win out of the last five games.
Jimmy Butler has been on a tear offensively, leading this team night in and night out during this recent stretch of basketball. He isn’t just increasing his scoring; he is doing so on outstanding efficiency and shooting splits.
After last night’s 23/8/8 outing, Butler has the 3rd most 20/5/5 games by a Miami Heat player all-time, trailing just Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. He is simply one of the best to ever do it in a Miami Heat uniform, and this team is at it’s best when Butler is aggressive offensively.
Butler also added 3 STLS, 9/12 FT, and a +11 on the court against Orlando.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Heat as the core four of Butler/Bam Adebayo/Tyler Herro/Terry Rozier all played efficient and effective in the blowout win.
Rozier dropped 18/7/6 on 7/12 shooting and a +21. Adebayo added 14 & 8 on a team high +32 and Herro had 14 PTS and a +22. Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr, and Josh Richardson combined for 46 PTS.
J-Rich is in the midst of a nice rhythm of his own shooting wise as of late. The 29 year old vet looks much more confident and comfortable in his shot and role in Miami.
With Herro and Duncan Robinson both returning to the rotation last night, Miami had a fully healthy squad again. The last time the Heat were fully healthy was in MSG against the Knicks a couple weeks back and Richardson was the odd man out of Coach Spoelstra’s nine man rotation.
Richardson has most certainly responded with his performance since that DNP.
The injury report for tonight is not yet released, but it is expected that the entire rotation will be available again besides Dru Smith who is out for the year.
Last evening, with the team being fully healthy again, it was Haywood Highsmith who wound up being that odd man out this time. Caleb Martin got the start at PF over Highsmith and played very well.
Martin had 11 PTS and 3 RBS on 5/9 shooting and a +14. Every single one of the starters had a positive +\- of at least 10.
The chemistry with this new-look Heat team is indeed starting to mesh, including Rozier especially.
With the Spurs coming into tonight with a 10-40 record, they still cannot be taken lightly because of the presence of rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama. The talent alone from the Spurs big youngster is enough to get scouting report acknowledgment.
Wembanyama and Adebayo will surely be a fun matchup to watch, but Adebayo got the best of him when Miami traveled to San Antonio earlier in the year.
The Spurs are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and are 3-7 over their last ten games, good for last place in the Western Conference.
Tonight’s game will tip off at 7:30 PM EST on Bally Sports Florida.
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
- NOT YET SUBMITTED.
San Antonio Spurs:
- Charles Bassey (ACL) — OUT
- Dominick Barlow (g league) — OUT
- Sidy Cissoko (g league) — OUT
- Mamadi Diakite (g league) — OUT
- David Duke Jr. (g league) — OUT
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Terry Rozier, G
- Tyler Herro, G
- Jimmy Butler, F
- Caleb Martin, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
San Antonio Spurs:
- Tre Jones, G
- Devin Vassell, G
- Julian Champagnie, F
- Jeremy Sochan, F
- Victor Wembanyama, C
Betting Lines:
- Check the current odds out at FanDuel!
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!
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HH is out… involved in a car accident hope he’s ok.
From Miami Herald:“According to a report, Highsmith did not sustain injuries in the accident, but others were hurt“
Lets get another W…
Sounds right to me:
”If the Heat’s self-described ‘Big Three’ is broken up at some point, it seems unlikely to happen before Thursday’s trade deadline, barring something unforeseen,” wrote Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.”
I actually think this game is pretty significant. Win back to back and you get 3 days to rest and practice and get a vibe going. Then beat that Celtic @$$ on Sunday
That would mean that we are out of the woods.