Heat takeaways, injury updates and trade deadline fodder after win against Philadelphia
Five takeaways from the Heat’s 137-106 stomping of Philadelphia, a night in which Miami set a season high in scoring, a franchise record for most points in a half (81, in the second half) and established another franchise mark for fewest turnovers in a game with three, one fewer than the old record:
▪ Jimmy Butler was magnificent against his former team, whose coach offered some clarity about one challenge that Butler’s presence created in Philadelphia.
Butler’s 38 points were his highest as a member of the Heat and the most by a Heat player this season.
Keep in mind that Butler entered having shot 16 for 45 in three games against Philadelphia, with a minus 17 plus/minus and point totals of 11, 14 and 25.
But he was brilliant Monday, scoring 23 in the first half and closing 14 for 20 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line, to go along with seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“So assertive, aggressive and took what was available and got into a great rhythm,” Erik Spoelstra said.
Butler, who topped his previous season high of 37 against Boston, scored 15 in the third quarter, in which the Heat scored a season-high 41 points and extended a four-point halftime lead to 20.
Butler consistently attacked the basket and did most of his damage inside the paint, but he also hit both of his three-point attempts and a 20-footer, reassuring for a player whose perimeter shooting has fallen off dramatically this season.
Butler entered 2 for his last 23 on three-point attempts, with just two makes in his past 17 games. On Monday, he hit two three-pointers in the third quarter alone.
He also shot 5 for 7 outside the paint, after entering the game shooting 35.9 percent on those types of shots. Butler downplayed his shooting struggles.
“They just went in; I’m not going to miss every night,” he said. “I don’t care as long as we get the win. I’m never worried about offense. Hell, I’m never worried about defense. As long as we’re getting wins, I’m happy.”
It was his second consecutive strong game against the 76ers, following a 25-point, 9-rebound, 9-assist masterpiece in a Dec. 28 win against the 76ers.
There has some element of mystery about why the 76ers did not offer Butler a five-year max contract this past summer. Butler has declined to explain it.
And though 76ers coach Brett Brown hasn’t explained it, either, this comment Monday was telling:
“He’s got the ball,” Brown said of Butler’s role with the Heat. “He’s effectively their point guard. That’s the juggling act we had to experience in Philly. He’s that good. He’s that talented. Ben [Ben Simmons] has got the ball. At times, there was a challenge to figure that out [as far as whether Simmons or Butler should be on the ball]. We’re glad he was with us for a little while. He’s having a hell of a year and he’s an NBA all star and we congratulate him.”
Informed of those comments, Butler said: “I would like to say I’m still the same player as I was there. Be a killer, do whatever you can get a win.”
▪ The Heat lost two more rotation players to injuries.
Guard Tyler Herro was lost with right foot soreness after 10 first-half minutes, and then Meyers Leonard needed to be assisted to the locker-room in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle. They join Justise Winslow - who’s out indefinitely with a bone bruise back injury - as ailing rotation players. Spoelstra had no immediate update after the game.
Leonard, who has started every Heat game this season, sustained the injury after landing awkwardly near Joel Embiid in the third quarter. He was on crutches after the game - which might be precautionary - and it would be surprising if he suits up for games Wednesday at the Clippers or Friday at Sacramento, and potentially longer than that. Whether he travels with the Heat to Los Angeles on Tuesday is also very much in question.
Herro, on the other hand, was walking normally after the game. Spoelstra described Herro’s issue as “a little bit of a sprain under his ankle which he has been managing 10 days or so.”
Even before those injuries, Kelly Olynyk had replaced James Johnson in the rotation, at least on this night.
Now, if Leonard is out for several games, both Olynyk and James Johnson are positioned to join the rotation, though on Monday, Spoelstra used Chris Silva in the second half (during garbage time) while not playing Johnson at all.
Olynyk hadn’t appeared in Miami’s past two games and six of the past 12. Johnson, meanwhile, entered having appeared in 11 in a row.
But Johnson struggled in the past four, shooting 3 for 19 with a plus minus of minus-23 and 11 total rebounds.
So Spoelstra went back to Olynyk, who had seven points and four rebounds and was a plus-23 in 23 minutes.
Olynyk, who has one full season left on his contract (a $13.6 million player option) said he hasn’t spent time wondering if he will be here past Thursday’s trade deadline. Leonard’s injury clearly increases Olynyk’s value to the Heat.
“You assume you’re going to be here until you’re not,” Olynyk said. “It doesn’t really matter. You’ve got to show up and do your job, whether it’s here or somewhere else, whether it’s an accounting firm or somewhere else.”
He said he’s never tempted to ask president Pat Riley to clarify his status.
“They can say they’re not going to trade you, but somebody can offer something that [is hard to turn down],” Olynyk said. “That’s what I learned in fantasy football: Everybody has a price. It might be higher than the other person is willing to give.”
“I like it here; I love Miami,” Olynyk added. “The organization has been unbelievable. Obviously, playing time is up and down. You want to help and contribute. But we’re winning, have a great group of guys, not much not to like. Obviously, everyone wants to play.”
Even with Herro out for the second half, Spoelstra bypassed Dion Waiters, who wasn’t used for a second consecutive game after playing in three in a row.
▪ Joel Embiid did damage offensively and on the boards but couldn’t stop the Heat’s bigs on the other end.
Embiid has 29 points and 12 rebounds but it hardly mattered.
Partly to keep Adebayo out of foul trouble, Erik Spoelstra had Meyers Leonard open on Embiid, who capitalized with 11 first quarter points.
Adebayo defended Embiid to start the second quarter and picked up his second foul, on an Embiid postup, with more than 10 minutes left in the first half. But Spoelstra left him in the game, and Adebayo never picked up a third foul.
“He trusts me,” Adebayo said of Spoelstra. “That’s my connection between me and Spo. I was just being smart and not picking up silly fouls.”
Adebayo was coming off his worst offensive game since November, with four points (1 for 8 shooting) but also 14 rebounds against Orlando. But Adebayo was active and efficient offensively, scoring 18 points (on 8 for 15 shooting), with 11 assists and eight rebounds.
Adebayo was Miami’s fourth-leading scorer, behind Butler, Goran Dragic (24) and Duncan Robinson (19).
Of Adebayo’s 11 assists, Spoelstra said: “You have to have the unselfishness to be able to want to set up your teammates like that. And the development of his skill level has improved so dramatically that he can get to different spots and has a variety of different ways to get teammates open shots. That certainly adds to our offense and makes it a lot more dynamic if you’re preparing for us.”
In his matchup with Embiid, Adebayo joked about trying to be a 6-10 version of Patrick Beverley or Marcus Smart: “My job is to get stops... do all the little things to agitate somebody.”
▪ The Heat won the season series 3-1 against Philadelphia, giving Miami the tiebreaker edge should the teams finish with the same record.
This was significant, with the East so tightly bunched.
The Heat stands fourth in the East; third-seeded Boston has the same record as Miami (34-15) but owns the tiebreaker at the moment. The Celtics have won the first two games against Miami this season, with two matchups remaining in April.
Toronto, which has won 11 in a row, is in second at 36-14, putting them 1 ½ games ahead of the Heat and Celtics and 7 ½ games behind top seed Milwaukee.
Indiana lost to Dallas at home, falling to 31-19, and giving Miami a 3 ½ game lead over the fifth-seed Pacers. And Miami is now four games ahead of sixth-seeded Philadelphia (31-20).
Adebayo said Spoelstra, during the team’s late-afternoon walk-through on Monday, mentioned the chance to win the tiebreaker with Philadelphia. “We locked in because of that,” Adebayo said.
Miami moved 19 games above .500 for the first time this season and scored its most points ever against Philadelphia. The Heat’s point total was its second highest ever in a non-overtime game, just short of the 141 scored against Denver in 1991.
And Miami’s offensive rating (148.9) was the highest since the NBA began recording that statistic in 1996.
▪ As for the trade deadline, Miami is doing due diligence but faces several obstacles.
With Thursday’s NBA trade deadline looming, the Heat has explored several potential upgrades, but Justise Winslow’s mysterious back ailment - combined with the lack of a first-round draft pick to offer - complicate matters.
So does the Heat’s desire not to acquire any player - aside from an All-Star caliber talent - who would diminish its projected $35 million plus in 2021 cap space. And because the Heat is operating just below a hard cap this season, Miami cannot take back any more money than it’s sending out in a trade.
According to ESPN, the Heat has inquired about Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday and Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari. But the Pelicans’ asking price for Holiday is very high, and Miami is disinclined to part with Herro. And with OKC in playoff position, the Thunder has little incentive to deal Gallinari, an impending free agent.
The Athletic reported Heat interest in Memphis’ Andre Iguodola, which would require Miami sending out salaries equaling at least $17.2 million.
Miami could use a defensively skilled big man, but that pursuit is complicated by the coaching staff’s preference to use a stretch big alongside Bam Adebayo.
Among names that have been bandied about publicly (in general, not specifically to the Heat): LaMarcus Aldridge (the Spurs reportedly are not looking to move him), Sacramento’s Dewayne Dedmon (very much available), Phoenix’s Aron Baynes (Suns willing to listen), Houston’s Clint Capela (Boston, Atlanta reportedly have had discussion), Detroit’s Andre Drummond (makes little sense as an expiring contract for Miami, for the same reasons Spoelstra did not believe Adebayo and Hassan Whiteside would be an effective pairing), OKC’s Steven Adams (not a three-point shooter), Cleveland’s John Henson, Charlotte’s Bismack Biyombo and Golden State’s Kevin Looney.
With Leonard sidelined, acquiring Dedmon would make sense if Sacramento was willing to take Waiters. Baynes also would make sense, though his defensive metrics are poor this season.
Among potential wing players besides Gallinari and Holiday, the Heat reportedly has shown interest in Portand’s Trevor Ariza (though the Blazers have little reason to deal him because he and the team have played well since his acquisition).
Among other wings potentially available: Memphis’ Iguodola (Miami lacks draft picks to offer before a 2024 second-rounder, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks), Marcus Morris (Knicks want a lot), the Spurs’ DeMarre Carroll and Marco Bellinelli and Robert Covington (Minnesota wants a lot for him, and his $12.9 million salary in 2021-22 makes him unappealing from a Heat standpoint).
Please click here for my three other Monday stories - a Dolphins six-pack, a Canes six-pack and news on Duncan Robinson’s invitation to All-Star weekend.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 10:52 PM.
