MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Friday 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors:
— With 7:10 to play in the third quarter, it was as if Heat center Bam Adebayo said enough was enough.
— As he did Wednesday night in Charlotte, with his assists-rebounds double-double, he again was filling those columns to the stage.
— But, all the while, Raptors center Jacob Poeltl was filling the scoring column.
— So with that 7:10 to play in the third, Adebayo made clear he would not be denied, a straight line drive down the middle for a dunk.
— Shortly after he had converted a 3-pointer.
— Because there is not a lot of math where the Heat win when Adebayo is being significantly outscored by Poeltl, even if that proved to be the case Friday.
— It has been nearly a quarter of a season now wondering what’s wrong with Adebayo’s offense.
— How everything in that facet just looks off with the Heat center.
— Until that is fully addressed and rectified, mediocrity likely could remain the Heat’s way.
— But he stayed with it Friday night.
— He found a way to make a difference.
— On the Olympic team that won gold in Paris this summer, all that was needed was a complementary player.
— With the Heat, there has to be more from Adebayo.
— More moments like that dunk.
— Moments more like this triple-double.
— The Heat opened for a fifth consecutive game with a lineup of Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro.
— Entering 3-1 with that lineup.
— That made it the third consecutive game of Terry Rozier playing as a reserve, after playing as a starter until a two-game absence due to foot soreness.
— “He’s a competitor, and he’s a winner,” coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame of Rozier. “Right now he just wants to do anything to help us get to another level. He’s a massive X-factor for us.”
— Spoelstra added, “So we just want to get him comfortable, get him feeling good about his health and get him comfortable out there where he can be himself and really make an impact.”
— Kevin Love, back after missing Wednesday night’s victory in Charlotte due to back spasms, was first off the Heat bench, followed by Pelle Larsson.
— Rozier then was third off the bench.
— Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Alec Burks followed together to make it 10 deep.
— Herro extended his personal best streak to 51 consecutive games with a 3-pointer, 18 games off Robinson’s franchise record.
— Butler’s first steal moved him ahead of Eddie Jones for seventh on the Heat all-time list.
— Butler’s third 3-point attempt was the 2,000th of his career.
— Herro extended his career-best streak to 47 consecutive games scoring in double figures.
— Herro’s second 3-pointer gave him 800 for his career, joining Tim Hardaway (806) and Robinson as the only Heat players to reach that milestone.
— Jaquez’s 11th point was the 1,000th of his career.
— Of his team solely having a focus on victory Friday, as opposed to margin of victory, as well, after the Heat were eliminated from the NBA Cup earlier in the day, Spoelstra said, “That would have been the case regardless. You lose a couple of games like we did, you’re not anticipating. We don’t sit around begging other teams to lose. We have to handle our own business.”
— That said, it is the second year in as many of the event that the Heat have failed to advance to the knockout round.
— “It’s something slightly different that you can compete for. I know we all would have liked to have been in Vegas,” Spoelstra said of where the semifinals and final will be played. “That’s not the case, but it sparks something more. When you have something to play for, I think it’s always good. I think it will just continue to get better.”
— Spoelstra said a focus going into Friday night’s game was the Heat’s ongoing focus on upgrading defensive rebounding.
— “Toronto has a team that really fits their organizational personality,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a hard-playing team, athletic, they play fast, they crash the glass – something we need to shore up, anyway.”
— Raptors coach Darko Rajaković spoke at length pregame about the Heat’s willingness to utilize zone defense more than any other team in the league.
— “They’re willing to do it,” he said. “I think they’re willing to stay in a zone even if you make some shots. I don’t think they’re doing anything that out of the box.”
— Rajaković added, “Their zone is good, but their coach is great.”
— The game opened the second of the three times the Heat will face the same opponent in consecutive games, with a repeat matchup Sunday in Toronto.
— The Heat split the first such pairing against the Pacers, winning the first and losing the second, both in Indiana.
— The final such occurrence will be at Atlanta on Feb. 24 and home against the Hawks on Feb. 26.
— Meanwhile, Friday night in the G League, Heat two-way players Josh Christopher (season-high 37 points) and Keshad Johnson (32 points, 11 rebounds) powered the Heat’s affiliate, the Sioux Skyforce, to victory. Heat camp prospect Isaiah Stevens had 12 points and a career-high 18 assists.
Originally Published: November 29, 2024 at 10:38 PM EST
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