(Photo via NBA.com)
The dominant start to the Miami Heat’s 2025-26 season continued on Wednesday, as the Heat held off the visiting Milwaukee Bucks down the stretch to earn their sixth-straight win. It was a final score of 106-103, as the team improved to an impressive 13-6 record.
They are also now 9-1 at home, and have won nine of their last 11 games. The Heat sit at the third seed in the East and just 1.0 game out of second. The last time Miami has started a season this well, they made the NBA Finals.
Tyler Herro led the way in this NBA Cup matchup, scorching the Bucks with a game-high 29 points on 9 of 15 shooting (60%) to go along with 7 assists and 5 rebounds. He also added one block and one steal. It’s safe to say there hasn’t been much rust for Herro after being sidelined for the team’s first 17 games while working himself back from offseason ankle surgery. He has instantly inserted himself into the Heat’s number one option offensively again, picking up from his All-Star campaign last year.
It was also the first game that Herro played alongside Norman Powell in the backcourt. Powell missed the Heat’s previous game with a groin strain, and he struggled shooting in this one. Powell scored just 11 points on 4 of 11 shooting, 0 of 5 from 3-point range, in his 29 minutes.
Prior to this game, Powell was averaging a career-high 25.4 points per game. Now he will need to adjust offensively with Herro back in the fold. Powell’s usage and shot attempts were down in this matchup compared to taking on a focal point of the offense in Herro’s absence.
Bam Adebayo also added a 17 points, 11 rebounds double-double. Kel’el Ware was relegated back to the bench with Herro and Powell in the lineup, but still contributed an efficient outing of 11 points and 9 boards in 26 minutes.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, coach Erik Spoelstra seemingly matched up with size in keeping Davion Mitchell in the first unit. The starting lineup could be fluid on a game-to-game basis based on opposing teams matchups, as the Heat’s depth has the ability to go either big or small. Mitchell was quiet offensively in this one but still led the offense with 9 assists.
With a fully healthy roster, Miami’s bench featured mainly a four-man rotation of Ware, Dru Smith, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson. Nikola Jovic was the odd man out entirely— receiving zero minutes of playing time amid his struggles to begin the season.
In Antetokounmpo’s absence, Milwaukee was led by Myles Turner’s 24 points and Ryan Rollins’ 26 points, respectively. The Bucks shot 42% from the field compared to the Heat’s 46%, along with a slight edge in 3-point shooting. It was a tight game throughout, although the Heat were able to finish it off once again.
Miami’s next game will be their biggest test of the season, as they will host the top seeded Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
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Hey, I’m thankful for all you people that post here. It’s been a particularly fun time lately and it’s been great to share it with everyone here.
I have been a man of little faith because I have certain constructs that may not apply anymore. The old urgency to win a championship asap is gone. We are definitely improving and that really should be good enough for me so I am going to try to believe in our process and just enjoy the ride.
Go Heat!
BTW, my family member from Philly said some nice things about Ware tonite at Turkey Day.
what they say about me
They say you are too opiniated. Not like the rest of us.
i wasnt asking for your opinion
I just responded to your question about what they sayin about you being opiniated. They also said when they want your opinion they’ll give it to you. Don’t blame me, I’m just the messenger. It’s “them”
There’s an odd man out for the Miami Heat…for now. Originally posted on Miami heat on SI.
Last updated Nov 27, 2025 1:45 PM ET
There are merely 240 minutes.
That’s the pool of time that Erik Spoelstra has available to split between players on his surprisingly deep roster, which is now entirely healthy. The return of Tyler Herro is already forcing tough decisions, especially with Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell all back from recent absences.
1. Niko is on outside for now.
With the exception of a couple of games, Jovic struggled to find his place in a faster offense that seemed suited for him, even after Herro himself said Jovic would benefit most from his own absence. For a player who has had a crisis in confidence, it may be a challenge to stay the course. His skillset still has value, but it’s hard to see where he fits at the moment.2. What about the super sixth man?
Seventeen minutes?! Ninth on the team? We’re assuming this is but a blip. But the guess here is that Jaquez Jr. will be more in the mix than he was against Milwaukee. He’s been too good, with his downhill driving and mid-post game, to be the one pushed to the background.3. Simone better step up
Fontecchio started off the season ablaze, and he’s regressed to the mean some. It will be difficult for him to get rhythm in spot minutes, but he must, since shooting is his primary skill. And with Herro now in the fold, that’s not quite as necessary as some of the other stuff.
bam 35 ware 35 powell 35 herro 25 jjj 25 wiggy 25 dav 28 dru 20 keshot 15 ,fonzi 0 d not good hes an average shooter ,jovic 0 no position for him.
You’re being tough on the Fonz. He’s not an average shooter. And he isn’t just a shooter.
career 10 pts 42 39 thats average throw in bad d hes #9 10 on heat pecking order
What does that make Larsson #11 or #12???
forgot pelle sorry no hes get minutes the swedish pit bull 15
Where you getting the minutes…from Herro?
basing it on ability.those with the highest ability get the most minutes.that could vary a little bit but overall best players should play the most.i love pelles game but its somewhat limited.
sf wiggy jjj way better than fonzi
If it wasn’t for negative opinions, some folks would have no opinions at all.
Sing it loud, sing it proud!
Herro 25??? Keshad 15 and Larsson 0.??? What’s Larsson, chopped liver??? Got any more of that stuff you’re smoking and/or drinking??? Asking for a friend with initials.
I think Simone will bounce back. He’s had too many good moments already to not. He may be regressing to the mean a little but he will come out of it and probably soon.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ‘QUITTER” (NOT A HAPPY CAMPER…SO SAD)
“We don’t box out. We don’t go with the scouting report. We let anybody do whatever they want – open shots, get into the paint, free throws. It’s just sad.”
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…YOU MIGHT GET IT!
This isn’t the first time that Butler has had some harsh comments about the state of the team this season. Also, he has a long history of incendiary comments and making life uncomfortable in the locker room when things aren’t going his way.
https://x.com/anthonyVslater/status/1993929728903053530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1993929728903053530%7Ctwgr%5E160f74d3798c48521f4ea79c98a21cd2acba2b53%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yardbarker.com%2Fnba%2Farticles%2Fjimmy_butlers_latest_comments_spell_crisis_for_warriors%2Fs1_13132_43127827
Brandin Podziemski responds to Jimmy Butler’s postgame comments saying everybody has to care more about doing the little things right.
“I mean I think we all care, obviously it looks a little bit worse because we lost… No ones gonna bail us out of this kind of losing funk that we’re in.”
hes warriors problem now.its ok to chirp when your a ss but currently at his advanced age hes just a good player.if curry chirps thats one thing but quitter now thats not gonna fly with his teammates .warriors at best a playin team they have no quality size and are very old.
That’s pretty much it, you can’t talk if you can’t walk the walk anymore.
playoff jimmy could bitch jimmy lately stfu
His ship has sailed but someone forgot to tell him…or Warriors.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
I admit that I take some pleasure in his pain.
me three
I wish I had his pain for $111 million for 2 years. Riley sure dodged a bullet on that mofo
the warriors knew what they were getting an aging malcontent player whos on the downside of a borderline hof career
You should have known that too instead of saying at the time Riley should have given him the extension. As SM said, we dodged a bullet by not giving in, and as you have said, he’s the Warriors problem now.
jimmy would still be the best player on our team 20 53 46 this year .mo fo quit on us f him didnt want to be here.when i see him play i want him to do bad but hes still dam good his head is fkd up.besides steph gsw doesnt have much else.our team was getting stale with him anew direction was needed.we peaked out with him 2 finals but it was going in a downward direction.hes still a dam good player but norm by himself has made up for jimmys loss.too bad pat didnt get him a big to bang with ad and joker i might have met u on bisc blvd in july.
I would much rather have the players we got in connection with quitter’s trade. (Wiggins, MItchell, 2025 pick (Jakicionis) and Anderson who was later packaged with Love for Powell. Can’t complain. Heat got the gold mine and Warriors got the shaft. Still time for Riley to pick up a good big. Hang loose. Bisc Blvd may still be possible.
I wouldn’t take Butler straight up for Powell.
And they had $110M to spare.
Happy Thanksgiving hhh family, stay blessed, and safe out there. One thing I’m thankful for is heat culture, let’s keep stacking up wins.
im thankful for eric reid he makes my heat nights so enjoyable win or lose.once he retires be hard to listen to anybody else.
Thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving
Is that turkey time? bon appetite.
I’m surprised no comments yet. I have a couple….
Ty did not hurt us last night on defense, as far as I could see. I thought Ty did just fine on defense. But, calling Ty the number one option seems premature to me. It is great to have Ty back and his scoring, but I believe Powell is still our number one option,,the player we would like to have the ball the most in crunch time. Powell, even on an off night, can get to the rim for a lay-up better than anyone we have. Now, Ty has that floater, a high skill shot that is almost equivalent in lethality to Norm’s penetration. Call Ty option One B, and Powell option One A as they are nearly equivalent, even though one will do better than the other on different nights. We need them both as both are at that tier on offense just below superstar and may actually give us just as good a chance to win a close game as a team with a true superstar.
Secondly, the Bucks had the tall center with the pretty tall power forward combo, Turner, Kuzma and Portis, and only Wiggins and Bam to guard them. When Ware was in things were better but Ware or Bam can’t play all game. And Wiggins should be in there down the stretch as he is too important as a third option and one who can score in crunch time when many can’t. But, Ware and Wiggy works better than Bam and Wiggins as Bam is often too short too. But, Bam also needs to be in there at crunch time. It’s a dilemma. It wasn’t our only defensive breakdown, as Rollins had his way with our guards too. But the four position was a source of many mismatch advantages for the Bucks. The opening was there for Jovic or Keshad to step in, but at this time the coach apparently doesn’t feel they are reliable in crunch time, or last night at all. Keshad isn’t tall enough. If they can’t trust either of them to play, just to give Ware or Bam a rest, we need another big for teams with tall front lines, of which there are many.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and I am thankful we had just enough to win another game against a still tough team even without their star. 13-6 is a gaudy record, one we can all feel good about.
I watched Spo after the game. Its seems that another iteration of the Heat is under construction with Herros return.
We are in great place. With the record well above the expectation, there is time to play with different lineups and see what works the best, even for a cost of games lost.
For now, I see the following should be done:
-KJ should be somehow included in point guard rotation. He needs that because we need a backup in case of injury at that position.
-Find an ideal combination of minutes for Herro and Powell. They will star together, but I doubt its the best for a team to play together.
-get Nico going.
-get another big man.
-sort out power forward and center rotation with including another big man.
If this can be done till all star game, this team could be really scary.
KJ isn’t ready to promote into an already crowded Heat rotation. At Sioux Falls, he is averaging the following:
I would give him until the trade deadline to get his feet wet and only then consider him for limited use with the Heat. Right now, he needs all the playing time and experience he can get.
Spo will use different combinations of players each game, depending on who is playing well together. Like Bam and Ware, Herro and Powell will be able to play effectively together or separately.
I agree on the need to find another big to rotate with Bam and Ware. If he can agree to being a physical/power player, rather than a finesse player, Nico could be that person. If he can’t or won’t agree to fully embrace a new, more physical role, Miami will need to look elsewhere for a front court rotation player. I agree this issue needs to be resolved by the trade deadline.
In case of injury of Mitchell, Dru, we would need him . Time to get his feet wet is now.
That’s why he is playing full time in Sioux Falls rather than getting limited minutes in Miami. He’s still a turnover machine (3.2 PG) and hasn’t found his 3 point shot. If he had played last night Heat could have lost. There’s still time. He’s just 19. I wonder if Dragic was still working with him before he was sent to Sky Force?
If I m not wrong, he is around the team from time to time.
Yes, he was on the bench recently
After one game (too early to make any conclusions) I agree that it would be better to play Herro and Powell separately. Not that they played bad together, but it seemed to me that when they share the floor they cannot be utilized up to their full potential and that would be a shame. But it’s just one game, perhaps they just need some time to get used to playing together and Spo will turn them into a lethal duo. We’ll see. It’s just my observation after one game.
Get another big – I think I might have seen this suggestion somewhere here on HHH 😂 But seriously..I guess we just need to be patient. It’s clearly the no.1 priority in regards to our roster improvement. Although Keshad was pretty good in those couple of games he played and he brought fresh energy and crazy athleticism, I don’t think he’s a permanent solution,but rather a temporary fix for the PF position. He is not polished enough and not tall enough. But it doesn’t mean he cannot be useful for the team. Our depth is clearly our biggest strength and will be extremely beneficial for us. I am sure everyone will get their chance to play, although not every single game.
Exactly, we need to play them separately to maximize their production.
About bigs, sure, a theme of this year, but what kind of big?
There is no a decent big at free agent market, so trade is the only option.
But heat has a history to fill backup center position with low cost veterans on G league players. As far I remember, this position is threated as less important position in the team.
But we need that.
I disagree that we can judge by one game. I would rate it ‘incomplete’. Definitely need to see more as they learn each other’s spots and tendencies. Way too early to say it doesn’t work. Same thing was said about Bam and Ware.
They were just fine together in that game, but team is not constructed that way now. Heat success is based on everybody run and gun system.
There is not much sense to have two elite scorers at the same time on the court and not run the offense through them. But if you do that, then a delicate balance of the team can be lost.
I dunno. The problem at the last game wasnt them, it was power forward position or Wiggins playing there.
I agree with much of what you said.
As far as weaknesses, I think the biggest one is the lack of a front court player to rotate with Bam and Ware.
Note: After being bought out by the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons is now an unrestricted free agent. He has reportedly turned down offers, including a one-year veteran minimum deal from the New York Knicks, as he explores his options. Riley should jump on that by offering him a veterans minimum contract. The worst he can do is say no.
Seems like a realistic, doable idea. It might be a role Simmons could fill.
Well, I was thinking of somebody bulkier. Simmons is after all a finesse player too.
Career 7.4 rebounds isn’t exactly finesse. Ideally. Jovic should have that kind of stat if he finds his mojo. Like KJ, he could benefit by getting some playing time in Sioux Falls.
Simmons is 6’10” 240 lbs. Who do you have in mind that is bulkier?
i would try to trade for zion.he seems to be fairly healthy and pels are awful.
Fairly healthy? He’s missed 10 of 19 games this year, has played under 30 games in 3 of his first 5 seasons and is leading the Pelicans to a 3-16 records (15 games behind 1st place OKC. He’s still under contract for $16M over 3 years. Who you planning on giving up to get him, Herro, Jaquez and Ware?
Oops. Must have gotten into Heat’s stash. 3-16 record
s…3 years/$126.5 M.any team can sign him sun theres a reason hes not on a team,when he came out of college he was destined for stardom.never happened .rather give keshot a shot.hes not super tall but strong and athletic thats always a good combo to have.thought keshot played very well being third big
It’s Keshad. I was just spitballin.
Thank you. I’ve said a number of times that if Simmons was willing to play backup pf or c, I would do it. He is an elite rebounder and good passer. And someone must be joking about Zion!
Yup, Keshad, not Keshod or Keshot.
oops. I can recall anybody but Achiuwa. It seems that that type of player is not popular any more. I was thinking of a player strong enough to push the likes of Embiid and Jokic out of the rim.