Heat now with NBA’s third-best record. Takeaways and reaction from overtime win over 76ers
An important homestand for the Miami Heat turned into the perfect homestand.
Trailing by five points with 1:47 remaining in regulation, the Heat (24-8) rallied and eventually defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 117-116 in overtime Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami finished its four-game homestand with an undefeated 4-0 record, and improved to a league-best 15-1 at home this season.
The Heat is 6-0 in overtime games this season.
With the game tied at 116, Heat wing Jimmy Butler was fouled by 76ers big man Al Horford on a jump shot with 2.3 seconds to play in overtime. Butler missed the first free throw, but made the second to give Miami a one-point lead that proved to be enough.
76ers forward Tobias Harris had a good look at a potential game-winning three, but he missed as the final buzzer sounded.
A wild finish to regulation preceded overtime.
Rookie guard Tyler Herro, who finished with 16 points with the help of 4-of-8 shooting on threes, hit a three-pointer with 6.9 seconds remaining in regulation to put the Heat ahead 107-106.
After Butler made one of two free throws with 3.3 seconds to play in regulation to extend the Heat’s lead to two, Goran Dragic reached in and inadvertently fouled 76ers wing Josh Richardson with one second remaining.
Richardson had two free throws to tie the game, missing the first and intentionally missing the second. Ben Simmons grabbed the rebound and made the game-tying putback layup with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
“Even though we made some mistakes at the end of regulation,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I think the guys in some twisted way really enjoy these kind of games and pushing it into overtime, even though it drives the head coach crazy.”
Philadelphia All-Star center Joel Embiid was a force, with 35 points and 11 rebounds.
Five takeaways from the Heat’s win over the 76ers (23-12) ...
1. The Heat is proving it can play with the Eastern Conference’s best teams and win close games.
Not only did the Heat record its second win of the season over the 76ers on Saturday, but Miami has also already earned victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets this season.
The Heat has posted a combined 6-2 record this season against the Eastern Conference’s top seven teams. The Heat is also 17-2 against all conference opponents.
Miami already has a list of quality wins this season, with victories over quality Western Conference opponents like the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz included in there. For all of the winning the Heat has done against inferior opponents (11-1 against teams with a losing record), it also has a 12-7 record against teams with a winning record.
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Heat now has the second-best overall record in the East and the third-best overall record in the NBA behind only the Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
“We got a long way to go,” Butler said, refusing to allow his teammates to get complacent. “We definitely have a long way to go. But it’s a lot of little things that we got to fix. We can’t be happy with where we are. Nobody around this locker room is, nobody in this organization is. We got a couple more levels to get this thing up before it gets real.”
The Heat has also had a lot of success in close contests this season, with an undefeated record in overtime games and an 11-3 record in “clutch” games. Miami’s .786 winning percentage in these “clutch” situations is the best in the NBA.
A “clutch” game is defined as a game that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
With Friday’s 113-112 win over the Pacers and Saturday’s 117-116 win over the 76ers, nine of the Heat’s last 11 games have been decided by single digits. Miami has posted a 9-2 record during this stretch.
Friday and Saturday’s back-to-back set marked the first time in franchise history the Heat has won consecutive one-point games on consecutive nights.
“I think in 48 hours, we developed even more grit and mental toughness than we’ve had before,” Spoelstra said following the Heat’s second consecutive one-point win. “I think that’s one of the stronger qualities of this group, to be able to persevere, stay the course, exhibit mental stability throughout the course of a long game when things are going up and down. Then you have to have guys that rise to the occasion. We have several guys who become different in those clutch moments.”
One interesting stat to keep an eye on, though, when it comes to the Heat’s success late in close games is its net rating in “clutch” situations. Despite owning the league’s top winning percentage in “clutch” games, Miami has the 11th-best net rating in these situations.
Defense has been somewhat of an issue late in these games, with the Heat’s “clutch” defensive rating ranked 16th in the NBA. Miami’s “clutch” offense rating is ranked eighth.
A .786 winning percentage in “clutch” games is likely not sustainable for the entire 82-game season, especially with the Heat’s advanced metrics in these situations. But for now, it’s working.
“Just the execution part of it,” Butler said when asked how the Heat’s success in close games can translate to the playoffs. “I think we did a great job of knowing what schemes we’re in, knowing what plays we’re running, knowing where everybody needs to be and we get there very quickly. I feel like we’re still learning everybody, even though we may be however many games in now. But we’re picking up the pace of everything and understanding what it’s really going to take to win these close games. In the playoffs, it does become a possession game. So you practice those habits now.”
2. Butler has not been an efficient scorer lately, but he has found other ways to make an impact.
Over the past two games, Butler has shot 10 of 32 from the field. He finished Saturday’s win with 25 points on 7 of 21 shooting, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Butler made his first field goal of Saturday’s game with 1:10 remaining in the first half.
The Bam Adebayo-Butler duo combined to score 36 points on 12-of-35 (34.3 percent) shooting against Philadelphia. Adebayo also finished below his season averages in rebounds and assists with three rebounds and two assists.
“I don’t care how many shots I take and or make,” Butler said. “But I do care if we win the game.”
During this short two-game stretch, Butler has still managed to average 22.5 points. That’s because Butler has been able to get to the free-throw line, as he’s 25 of 29 from the foul line over the past two contests.
Butler has also recorded 18 rebounds, 15 assists and three steals during this two-game span.
“This quality that I’m talking about, this mental stability that we have, I think a large part of that can be credited to Jimmy,” Spoelstra said. “... Jimmy can stay the course regardless of what’s happening during the course of the game. Shots don’t affect him. Whether the ball is going in or not doesn’t affect his energy, doesn’t affect his leadership. He’ll find different ways to impact it. If it means drawing a foul, if it means getting a steal, a deflection, a rebound, setting a screen for somebody else.
“He’s like a five-tool baseball player, but for basketball. He does everything across the board to help you win. So many of those things don’t go noticed in a box score. How do you put a weight on competitive mental stability? He has got to be in the top percentile in this league.”
Nonetheless, it has been a tough shooting season for Butler so far.
Butler is shooting 42.6 percent from the field, which would be his worst single-season shooting percentage since he made 39.7 percent of his shots in the third season of his career in 2013-14. He’s also shooting 27.6 percent on threes, which would be his worst single-season three-point shooting percentage since he made 18.2 percent of his threes as a rookie in 2011-12.
“It’s early. It will level out,” Spoelstra said of Butler’s shooting struggles. “But it’s all about efficiencies. So I don’t even look at that field goal percentage number. If you factor in free-throw attempts and free-throw percentage, other than tonight, he’s one of the most efficient offensive basketball players in the league. Points per touch and things of that nature. He’s extremely efficient. You don’t have to know anything about analytics, you just watch him play. It’s a very coherent, stable playoff ready game.”
Butler has posted a team-best plus/minus of plus-228 this season. That’s tied with Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe for the ninth-best plus/minus in the NBA.
3. Richardson finished his return to AmericanAirlines Arena with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting on threes, five rebounds and two assists in 40 minutes.
Saturday marked Richardson’s first game back in Miami since the Heat traded him to the 76ers this past offseason as part of the Butler sign-and-trade deal.
But Richardson had already played two games against the Heat earlier this season, with both coming in Philadelphia. He has averaged 22 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the field and 54.5 percent shooting on threes, 3.7 rebounds and four assists in three games against the Heat.
There was no in-game tribute video for Richardson, with the Heat instead opting to honor his return in other ways. Miami reserves video tributes at AmericanAirlines Arena for players who were on its championship rosters, like the ones LeBron James, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers received when they returned to Miami.
Richardson was announced last among 76ers starters, with public address announcer Michael Baiamonte emphasizing Richardson’s name like he was still a member of the Heat. A loud ovation from fans followed.
Richardson, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Heat after Miami drafted him in the second round with the 40th overall pick in 2015.
The reunion tour continues in Miami on Jan. 5, when former Heat center Hassan Whiteside returns to AmericanAirlines Arena to face his old team for the first time since he was traded to Portland this past offseason. Whiteside was also dealt to the Trail Blazers as part of the Butler sign-and-trade move.
4. Derrick Jones Jr. is in the middle of the best stretch of his NBA career, and he has turned into an essential part of the Heat’s rotation.
The 22-year-old forward contributed 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes off the Heat’s bench Saturday. Jones was used as a roll man in pick-and-rolls multiple times against the 76ers, and the results were positive with the athletic Jones putting pressure on the defense as he rolled to the basket.
Over the past 10 games, Jones has averaged 10.8 points on 52.1 percent shooting, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 30.3 minutes.
Jones has also been effective on the defensive end, both as a man-to-man defender and at the top of the Heat’s zone. Entering Saturday, those guarded by Jones were shooting 37.8 percent from the field this season — 8.1 percent worse than their normal shooting percentage.
“We really need that guy to win these games because he makes shots,” Butler said. “Obviously, he’s super athletic. But he’s so smart. Then on the defensive end, he can switch, he rebounds well for his position and he just plays so incredibly hard, man.”
The next big step for Jones (6-6, 210 pounds) is remaining healthy and available. He has already missed 14 games this season due to injury (four because of a strained left groin and 10 because of a strained left hip).
5. Duncan Robinson continues to prove he’s one of the league’s top shooters.
The Heat’s second-year forward scored 16 on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting on threes against the 76ers. Foul trouble helped to limit Robinson to just seven minutes of playing time over the second half of regulation and overtime.
Robinson, who played under a two-way contract with the Heat last season, has made 53.1 percent of his threes over the past 10 games.
Robinson is tied with Washington’s Davis Bertans for sixth in the NBA with 105 made threes this season. Among the 23 players averaging seven or more three-point shot attempts per game, Robinson owns the league’s top three-point shooting percentage at 46.5 percent.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 11:09 PM.
