Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 101-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers:
– This is what makes the Heat so confounding.
– Uncompetitive against the Bucks team lacking Giannis Antetokounmpo.
– Abysmal to the looking-to-lose Hornets.
– And then this against a 76ers team that yet may win the East.
– They can be so good.
– Which is why the so bad is so troubling.
– This is the type of night when Erik Spoelstra says “we have enough” and you can agree.
– And this basically is what the Heat have to be.
– A team that forces turnovers.
– Maximizes possessions in zone.
– Makes 3-pointers.
– And gets the best of Jimmy Butler.
– Because it is not exactly a team full of Plans B, C or D.
– Of course, when the supporting players support, it also makes it easier.
– As Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Victor Oladipo did on Monday night.
– Which made it easier to withstand an off night from Bam Adebayo.
– Who had his hands full with Joel Embiid.
– Still: Too much time off for Butler at the start of the fourth quarter?
– The irony is he closed one assist shy of a triple-double because he is the one who had to be the offense at the finish.
– With it turning into Butler or bust.
– The Heat remained with the starting lineup of Adebayo, Kevin Love, Butler, Tyler Herro and Vincent.
– That lineup entered 0-2.
– Love and Herro had been on the Heat injury report earlier in the day.
– The game was the 400th regular-season appearance for Adebayo.
– The start was the ninth straight for Vincent and 14th of the season.
– Orlando Robinson again was inactive for the Heat, still with four NBA days remaining on his two-way deal.
– Also inactive for the Heat were Kyle Lowry, Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jovic, with Jamal Cain shifted back to the G League on his two-way contract.
– Lowry, back in his hometown, watched from the Heat bench.
– Strus, Oladipo and Cody Zeller played as the Heat’s first three reserves.
– With Cody Martin following.
– Zeller again had his moments with his activity.
– Butler’s second assist moved him past Sherman Douglas for eighth on the Heat all-time list.
– Love’s first offensive rebound moved him past Maurice Lucas for 85th on the NBA all-time list.
– Vincent’s third 3-pointer moved him past Dion Waiters and Chris Bosh for 25th on the Heat all-time list. Later moving past Ray Allen for 23rd.
– With the teams also to play Wednesday at Miami-Dade Arena, this is the sixth of eight times the Heat will play the same team in consecutive games. They have swept three of the previous occurrences this season and split the other two.
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