From the opening tip, the Miami Heat dominated LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers 134-93 inside Kaseya Center Wednesday night.
Yes, you read that score correctly.
The Heat did so in historic fashion as well, setting a franchise record for the most assists (42) in a single game while tying the franchise record for most made 3-pointers in a single game (24)–set during the 2022-23 season against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Friday’s 41-point win also tied for the fourth-biggest win in Heat history, with the biggest being their 60-point win in March against the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was a completely lazy effort from the Lakers, who have now lost five of their last seven games. They entered as the league’s seventh-worst defense and showed zero attention-to-detail or effort on that end the entire evening.
Tyler Herro scored 31 points on 11-of-19 shooting and 9-of-16 from 3-point range–capped by a 21-point third quarter, where he nailed seven straight triples. He also added five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Bam Adebayo looked like his old self again around the basket, scoring 14 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists on 6-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes. Jimmy Butler finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals on 8-of-12 shooting across 29 minutes. Haywood Highsmith added 14 points on 4-of-5 from deep in 30 minutes; Terry Rozier scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 25 minutes; Kevin Love had 10 points and five assists in 15 minutes.
All but one Heat player–undrafted rookie Keshad Johnson–scored in Wednesday night’s blowout. LeBron James had 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor with eight assists, though he was the only Laker who was consistently engaged offensively.
None of them were engaged defensively, however. Through 19 games, the Heat were the league’s 20th-best offense and most of their possessions offensively felt like a slug … though they shot 57.8 percent from the floor and 24-of-47 from deep on relative ease Wednesday.
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Interesting article on Kel’el Ware’s reassignment to Sioux Falls. Looks like he will get the playing time and individual coaching he needs over the next week or so, if not longer. Hopefully, when he returns, he’ll be able to get some serious playing time with the Heat (versus the 6 minutes of “garbage time” experience he has received thus far).
https://allucanheat.com/5-things-u-can-heat-miami-heat-trade-targets-rebuild-around-new-core
Heat Rookie Gathering Dust Doesn’t Help Playoff Hopes
If the Heat weren’t a middling team, making Ware jump through so many hoops would make more sense. Right now though, Spoelstra just seems like a guy who can’t see the beam in his own eye. Suffice it to say, that’s not the type of vision that will help Miami’s playoff chances.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/heat-rookie-gathering-dust-doesn-t-help-playoff-hopes/ar-AA1vpaII?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=16fa6d3108934bc39b2f7c508c8390f0&ei=24
I still believe, the reason not playing Ware is that he is not NBA ready yet. I have no problems with that, centers needs more time to develop.
The rest is on believe, what Heat are. FO and Spo believes, that this is a good team, and he plays his best players. For them is everything as it should be.
For those who believe, this is a mediocre or even bad team, is every minute playing older players instead of Ware, a lost minute.
So its about perspective really.
Its clear, that team is not at its best yet, but the question is, how much better can be. In that regard, I m not overly optimistic.
Spo and Riley have between now and the trade deadline to figure out what they are doing. If they wait too long, possible trade windows may close. Then they will be stuck in a very vulnerable position, especially as it goes for Butler. Pay through the nose or let him walk and take it in the ***.
Brooklyn Gets: Jimmy Butler and Thomas Bryant
Miami Gets: Ben Simmons, Noah Clowney and two 2025 1st round picks (Brooklyn has 4)
Heat projected -14 games after trade (mid-late lottery team)
Nets projected +9 games after trade
Heat Line-up after trade:
Herro, Robinson, Jaquez, Bam, Ware
Rozier, Larsson, *Johnson, Highsmith, Love
Richardson, Burks, Jovic, Clowney, Simmons
* Sign Johnson to regular contract and Stevens to two-way to replace Johnson
Expiring Contracts: $63.7 million
Simmons, Richardson, Robinson (team option), Burks
2025 Draft:
Heat’s Own Lottery Pick
Trade up 2 of Nets’ lower 1st round picks for one higher pick
2025 Team
Bam, Herro, Rozier, Highsmith, Ware, Jaquez, Larsson, Johnson, Love, Jovic, Clowney, Miami’s 2025 lottery pick, 1 or 2 first round 2025 picks from Nets, plus sign Smith, Christopher or Stevens to a regular contract.
Meanwhile, Riley can pursue trades for Rozier, Robinson, Richardson or Burkes for younger players or draft picks.
There is a fly in that soup. Brooklyn intend to tank too, they don’t want to be better. One way or another, Butler is interesting only for contenders, which needs the final piece.
I was just offering a possible trade scenario based on my analysis of the following facts:
Right now, Miami is in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn is in 8th place. There are seven (7) teams below the Nets in the standings. The top 6 teams are in the playoffs and the 7-10 teams are in the play-in round. The have a good shot at the play-in tournament and an chance (with Butler) at a top 6 spot.
Brooklyn would love the opportunity to unload Ben Simmons.
Currently, Brooklyn has three players averaging over 17 points per game
Brooklyn has 4 first round draft picks in 2025. One way or another, they will likely trade two.
Brooklyn’s 2024-2025 payroll is $167,554,990, which is well below the first apron.
Brooklyn’s 2025-2026 committed payroll is $75,506,685, of which $8.8 million is player option and $15.4 million is team option.
If you’ll recall, Jimmy showed a fondness for Brooklyn in September. Having a chance to play in New York with a team that has the potential to be competitive with payroll to attract another star or two, might entice him. Brooklyn would love his hard nosed style and star personality.
P.S. The term is “fly in the ointment.”
fly in the ointment?.. That’s a good one, where Americans gets those? Here, and, I believe, mostly around the world, is a fly in the soup.
I suppose Brooklyn would embrace a chance to get rid of Simmons, but they will at the end of this year anyway. So, where is a point?
But they might be willing trade some of their wings, not for Butler, but something else.
The point is, Brooklyn may want to give it’s fans the satisfaction of making the playoffs this year, rather than a few years down the road.
I Googled fly in the ointment vs fly in the soup. Here are the results:
“The correct phrase is “fly in the ointment” – it means a small flaw or annoyance that spoils an otherwise positive situation; “fly in the soup” is not a common idiom.
Explanation: The phrase originates from the Bible, where it says “dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour” (Ecclesiastes 10:1).”
I find this.
The story of the fly that fell into the soup while it was cooking was a Greek fable.
A greek fable seems more probable source.
We are an old world, America is a new one. So thats it.
Bible vs Greek fable. Hmm?
Please note that the bible was from the “old world” too. So there’s that.
In the world, where greeke and romans remains, and if we go even further in the past, Neanderthals ones, are all around, the whole bible thing is from yesterday.
Greek fables are older. So thats it.
My wife is Greek whose father was from the Peloponnese (near Sparta). Two of the apostles were Greek. Jesus was more popular than Aesop. So there’s that too. Jus sayin.
The Sioux Falls Sky Force featuring Kel’el Ware and Keshad Johnson play tonight.
The game will be televised via ESPN+ and Fan Duel.
Attached is the Sky Force 2024-2025 schedule and roster.
https://siouxfalls.gleague.nba.com/
It is very possible that Miami has found a replacement for Butler, if he is traded or decides to opt out of his contract after the season.
Keshad Johnson is averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 57.8% shooting. Johnson recently earned the G-League’s player of the week honors, where he averaged nearly 30 points and 8 rebounds on an absurd 78% shooting, 56% from 3-point range, in that span. For the entire season, he is shooting 40% from long range to go along with 82% from the free throw line.
Did I mention he is also an excellent defender?
See FANSIDED article below.
https://allucanheat.com/heat-prospect-keshad-johnson-thriving-in-g-league?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
cats put that whoopin on the lakers
hard to believe its been a decade since lebron was on the other side
Tyler has been great this season
41 pts! called it lol
2 days rest then…Suns and Cavs b2b?! what the heck?!!!!!
That was a feel good win, kudos to Heat and Tyler especially, but….
I haven’t see worse team then LAL this year. Even Washington was better.
There are two more games against strong teams, lets see how those will pan out.
You’re saying LAL are the worst in the league or worst that Miami has played
Worst team I saw playing this season. When LeBron feels he is 40 and Davis has a bad day, they are what we saw yesterday.
Hmm, I don’t know. A stat line of 29/5/8/1, shooting 12-18 (75%) would be a good day for a player of any age, even with 5 turnovers.
LBJ in not an ordinary player. By his standards this was not a good game. For most of other players it would be.
This Team Has Multiple Personality Disorder/Split Personality
Miami’s phone is going to be ringing off the hook from teams begging Riley to trade them…Herro. Right now, he’s the only one on the Heat that remotely looks like an all-star. Bam and Butler look like good supporting cast members.
There are times, such as tonight, when Miami looks like they can be competitive. However, most of the time, the team looks very mediocre. As we have discussed here previously, at best, Miami is a 5th-6th place team. At worse, it is probably a play-in team that may or may not make the playoffs.
What good is it to be a play-in or even a playoff team, if you know going in you will likely not get out of the first round?
Miami’s is stuck in a “No Man’s Land” where it has three options:
1) trade to bring in better players to make the team more competitive,
2) maintain the status quo and hope for the best or
3) make trades that will sacrifice this year but improve the team’s future.
One other consideration is this year’s draft pick. It will go to OKC if Miami makes the playoffs. However, since it is lottery protected, it will remain with Miami if the team does not make the playoffs.
In a worse case scenario, Miami stays it’s current course, makes the playoffs, loses in the first round, Butler opts out of his contract and the team is left without a 2025 draft pick. Even worse case scenario, Butler gets injured late in season or during the playoffs, decides to opt in and spends the better part of next year rehabilitating.
In a best case scenario, Miami makes one or two great trades, the team consistently wins the rest of the season, it beats the best Eastern Conference teams in the playoffs and goes on to win the NBA Championship!
The third option is to find the best trade available for Butler (and possibly others), to teams with young assets and draft picks. By tanking and using the 2025 lottery pick as well as the young players and additional draft picks acquired in trade(s), Miami can begin the rebuilding process.
Meanwhile, let the roller coaster ride into oblivion continue. All Aboard!!!
The win was impressive as hell, but really doesn’t change my perceptions. I still take option three. I love our team and only want the best. Sure was fun tonight, and maybe there will be Ty suitors now. There should be, as he can help anyone.
I like option 2.
Most probable option.
Don’t kill a messenger.
I’m on board with option 3, gotta rip off the band-aid, and get assets while we still have the chance.
If Butler gets hurt, it would be a 2 year disaster for the Heat. This season, and he’d probably have to opt in to next season’s contract, strapping the team down with that $52 million salary.
Exactly, that situation would be similar to the dolphins strapped for cash with barely anyway to improve.
Ok,I may change to option two if we win the next two games.
Seriously, I agree with your reasoning, BG.
Nothing wrong with option 1 or 2, of course like you said the outlook of the team might change if we win the next 2, but idk I just feel like the negatives kinda outweigh positives long term wise. Like one example that Czech explained above. Also a bunch of teams are getting younger and evolving in this new nba. I love pat, but it’s only so much a team can do to win, while running the same team back to back with little to no improvement. Plus It’s already so hard trying to make moves when we’re close to the 2nd apron.
Good win but also remember that the Lakers lost 6 straight games coming in tonight.
The good part is that in the past few games win or loose, the Heat are playing better in the 3rd quarter.
Encouraging to see fewer defensive lapses against a Lebron led offense.
Great win against a good team, we have a budding star in herro, who should definitely be an all star this year. He impressed me, you can definitely see all facets of his game got better. Boy wonder was on a heater, practically hot that whole 3rd quarter, we straight demolished them boys.
Always feels good beating bron, but this time we Straight up embarrassed LeBron and the Lakers. Held AD to a season low 8 points with suffocating defense all around. All on a historic night tying the franchise record for 3s made in a game…24 3s baby. Masterful performance from everyone 👏
You’re calling the Lakers “a good team”? Lol. Lakers fans would argue that point.