For the rare time this season, the Miami Heat worked two practices into their schedule this week. To an extent, Friday night’s 120-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at FTX Arena felt like a third.
This hardly was NBA-level competition, against a team bad when healthy and even worse when shorthanded, as the Thunder were on this night.
So as a 5-2 homestand came to an end for the Heat, who clinched another Southeast Division title with the victory, the Thunder dropped to their eighth consecutive defeat.
“It was a professional win,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I thought we had the right approach.”
In what at times felt like playing 5-on-2, with Oklahoma City offering the scoring of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and former Florida Gator Tre Mann and little else, it was the perfect night for the Heat to give Jimmy Butler a night off to rest his sprained right ankle and limit the minutes of the rest of the rotation.
Seemingly just about everyone in Heat colors got their numbers. Center Bam Adebayo closed with 19 points and nine rebounds, denied a double-double by being rested the entire fourth quarter.
From Tyler Herro, there was the now-typical second-quarter statement on the way to 26 points. And from Duncan Robinson and Max Strus, ample 3-pointers, with Robinson closing with 19 points, Strus 12.
“We definitely talked about it,” Robinson said, “just handling it like professionals”
Gilgeous-Alexander closed with 26 points, Mann 25.
Despite winning the Southeast, the Heat have yet to clinch a playoff spot.
Five Degrees of Heat from Friday’s game:
1. No Butler or Oladipo: Both Butler and Victor Oladipo were held out for the Heat.
Spoelstra said Oladipo missing the game with back spasms does not indicate a setback in his return from May quadriceps surgery.
“I think it’s just the added workload,” Spoelstra said, with Oladipo two weeks into his return. “You can do everything behind the scenes and all the conditioning and it’s not like real game action. But we’ll definitely be able to manage it. He’s already starting to feel a lot better.”
With Butler out with yet another ankle sprain, Spoelstra was asked about Butler not taping his ankles.
“When people get hurt or injured, you just try to manage all the noise,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody’s got an opinion about everything. We’ll handle it. Jimmy’s going to handle it. Our training staff is great. We’ll take of it. Thankfully, this is not something that’s long term, but we’ll manage it.”
2. Aggressive bent: For those questioning his lack of an aggressive bent in recent games, Lowry came out with three 3-pointers early in the third period, to effectively put it away.
Entering Friday’s game, Lowry had attempted four or fewer shots in four of his five appearance since missing four games due to family reasons.
“We had to go out there and do our jobs,” Lowry said of not playing down to the competition.
This time he was up to seven shots by the midpoint of the third period.
He closed 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 7 on 3-pointers, for 16 points, required for only 27:36.
“I’m just preparing myself,” he said of the road to the playoffs, “and continuing to get better.”
3. Herro again: Herro kept up his recent pattern of second-quarter dominance, this time with 12 points in the period, at 3 of 4 from the field and 6 of 6 from the line.
His effort helped push the Heat to a 69-54 halftime lead, and was needed, with Mann scoring 20 points in the second quarter for the Thunder.
Mann’s 20 were the most scored by a rookie in a quarter in the NBA this season, and also a Thunder rookie record for a quarter.
Mann went 8 of 11 from the field in the second.
Herro briefly limped off midway through the third period, after pounding his fist to the court when he landed awkwardly after a shot. He then headed to the locker room, but was back in action shortly thereafter.
“We all had that feeling,” Spoelstra said of the concern in the immediate moment. “So it’s one of those ‘Oh . . .’ moments.”
4. 3-for-all: Robinson missed his first 3-point attempt and then promptly made his next three, a personal 9-0 run over 1:25, to give the Heat an 11-2 lead and force a Thunder timeout 3:24 into the game.
Once Robinson went to the bench, the Heat lead was trimmed to 27-26 going into the second period.
Strus then picked up from there, making four of his first six 3-point attempts, including one of the second quarter from the logo to beat the shot clock.
Robinson closed 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, Strus 4 of 11.
And, yes, at one point Robinson seemed to turn to the Thunder bench and question their defensive approach against him.
“Anytime you see the ball go in a couple of times,” Robinson said, “you might start feeling a bit rambunctious.”
5. Small time: Caleb Martin was back after missing three games with a hyperextended left knee sustained March 9 against the Phoenix Suns, an injury that appeared potentially far worse at the time.
Martin entered together with Strus midway through the first quarter, after Herro and Markieff Morris entered.
The approach hinted at a potential Heat smaller-ball approach, with four reserves playing ahead of backup center Dewayne Dedmon, who typically has been one of Spoelstra’s initial substitutions.
The alignment had Morris cast at center, where he started the second and fourth quarters.
Morris closed with 13 points, Martin 11.
“The game, honestly, is a lot easier at the five,” Morris said. “For me, it is what it is, just put me out there and I’ll just figure it out.”
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Source: Berkshire mont
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