Takeaways from the Heat’s win against Washington
These have been the types of games - at home, against non-playoff, undermanned opponents - that Miami not only has won all season, but convincingly so.
So it was notable with a Wizards team missing three starters led the Heat in the fourth quarter before ultimately succumbing 112-103 thanks in part to late-game brilliance from Jimmy Butler.
Washington, playing with pace, gave Miami more aggravation than the Heat might have expected. A three by Bradley Beal pulled the Wizards within one with just under six minutes left.
But Butler then hit a three, Tyler Herro hit a three, and Butler set up Duncan Robinson for another three and then Bam Adebayo for a dunk. And that essentially settled matters, with Butler adding a jumper for good measure.
Butler produced his second triple-double as a member of the Heat and second in four days, closing with 28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, with a steal and two blocked shots.
Bam Adebayo scored a career high 24, to go with 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Herro, with 22, had his fifth 20-point game as a rookie.
Miami hadn’t trailed after the first quarter at home since opening night Oct. 23 against Memphis. But Washington led by 11 in the first half, by four at halftime and by one early in the fourth quarter.
“This shouldn’t be a place a team can come in on a back to back and feel like they are confident it will be an easy game,” Spoelstra said.
But the Wizards scored only 38 in the second half after scoring 65 in the first.
The Heat moved to 9-0 at AmericanAirlines Arena and remained one of only two teams not to lose this season on their home court, along with Boston.
Both teams played short-handed. Miami was without Goran Dragic (groin), Justise Winslow (back) and Dion Waiters (not feeling well).
Washington not only was playing on the second night of a back-to-back set (having beaten Philadelphia on Thursday) but also played without guards John Wall, Isaiah Thomas, and CJ Miles and centers Thomas Bryant and Ian Mahinmi.
Five takeaways from Miami’s win, which pushed the Heat’s record to 16-6:
▪ For the first time, an opposing coach publicly called Bam Adebayo a star. And Adebayo certainly looked like one.
Adebayo was a force not only defensively (as usual), but also on the offensive side, hitting two early jump shots and closing with 24 on 10 for 16 shooting. His previous career high was 23; his previous season high 21.
With the Heat down by 10 in the second quarter, Adebayo (with Derrick Jones Jr. and Butler) helped fuel a Heat rally with two blocks.
We’re seeing not only the dunks (five of them, thanks largely to great passes from Butler), drives to the basket and lay-ups off pick and rolls, but a more diverse offensive game from Adebayo, in addition to the usual good work on the boards, on defense and as a ball-handler.
“I give credit to Erik Spoelstra and his staff,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said when asked about Adebayo before the game. “The guy’s developed at a high level. He’s a bonafide star big in this league. Not only in his athleticism, but he’s passing really good at a high level.
“The crazy thing is he has a pretty good jump shot, but he doesn’t care about shooting jump shots. He wants to score around the basket and give his teammates good shots.”
Adebayo, informed of Brooks’ comments, said: “People are starting to notice me.... I really appreciate that from him because he’s a great head coach.”
But he also said it’s “kind of disrespectful” when teams significantly sag off his jumper.
Spoelstra said of Adebayo: “We’re putting more on his plate all the time. Because he is improving so much as a player, he’s the center version of Jimmy Butler in terms of being a two way complete player. People are going to look now and define his success by that final column and that does such an injustice to Bam.
“Today was a complete game where he was defending, creating actions with screening, second chance efforts, being in the right place at the right time. All of those things fell into place tonight.”
▪ Butler was at his aggressive, play-making best while hosting one of his former coaches.
Tom Thibodeau, Butler’s former coach in Chicago and Minnesota, attended the game as Butler’s guest, and Butler again was the best player on the court, as is usually the case when Miami plays non-playoff teams.
And he was again at his best late, with eight points and two assists in the fourth quarter to make the difference in a close game.
Butler consistently attacked the Wizards’ delinquent defenders, repeatedly driving for layups or dunks. Against a group of Wizards ill-equipped to defend skilled players off the dribble, this was not a night to settle for jump shots, and Butler knew it.
Butler joined LeBron James (nine), Dwyane Wade (five) and Hassan Whiteside (four) as the only Heat players with multiple triple doubles.
“It’s easy to do that with the ball in my hands all the time,” Butler said.
What’s more, he defended Beal (23 points) about 70 percent of the time, Spoelstra said.
Of Thibodeau being in attendance, Butler said: “I love the guy.”
Asked if he should be considered for MVP, Butler said: “No. I can give you 10-15 players that are much better at this game than I am, so we’ll leave this MVP conversation to those guys.”
▪ Heat rookies keep scoring in volume, with Herro shaking out of his brief shooting slump and Kendrick Nunn showing signs of life.
Herro and Nunn entered combining for 31.8 points per game, the second-highest scoring average for rookies, behind only Golden State’s rookies.
Both were coming off a poor shooting road trip, with Herro going 6 for 21 and Nunn 11 for 42 over those games in Brooklyn, Toronto and Boston.
Nunn, in fact, had gone 20 for his last 69 (29 percent) before Friday.
Nunn opened 1 for 4 and scored only three in the first half but came alive in the second half, mixing drives to the basket and short jumpers to finish with 14 points on 6 for 14 shooting.
But Herro was sharp throughout, scoring 13 in the first half, hitting the huge late three and finishing 10 for 18 from the field, including 2 for 7 on threes.
▪ The Heat lapsed defensively for a while against the league’s third-highest scoring team before order was restored.
Washington entered third in the league in scoring at 118.9 points per game and third in field goal percentage at 47.7.
Miami entered seventh best in scoring defense (105.7) and opposing field goal percentage (43.6).
The Wizards got the better of that matchup in a 65-point first half but shot only 32.6 percent (15 for 46) in its 38-point second half, closing at 44 percent from the field.
Conversely, Washington came into Friday ranked last in the league in points allowed per game (122.4) and shooting percentage against (49.6). The Heat, despite playing shorthanded, shot 49 percent against that shoddy Washington defense.
Miami entered 14th in scoring at 111 points per game but fourth in field goal percentage at 47.6.
▪ Injuries forced lineup changes, and Derrick Jones Jr. seized on the extra minutes.
Playing without two of its ball-handlers (Dragic and Winslow), the Heat compensated by having a combination of Butler and Herro play as the primary ball handler when mostly backups were in the game.
Of Herro, Spoelstra said: “I see in the future he can be a secondary ballhandler for sure, if not a point guard for our second unit. Right now, he’s learning it.”
The Dragic/Winslow minutes were filled largely by Derrick Jones Jr., who injected energy in the first half with a block, a steal and subsequent dunk and a three. Jones had five points, four rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes.
Chris Silva joined Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Herro and Jones as the fourth rotation player off the bench. Even without Dragic and Winslow, Spoelstra bypassed using James Johnson.
With Herro scoring 22 and Kelly Olynyk 10, the Heat’s bench was plenty good enough, even without two key pieces.
Waiters, who hadn’t appeared in a game all season, missed the game - with the Heat’s blessing - because of an illness that isn’t considered longterm.
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 10:19 PM.
