3 Heat takeaways from the surprising preseason win vs. Hawks
10/16/2024 10:00 PM
After the Miami Heat won two straight Tuesday, it’s now at three as they beat the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night in the second game of a back to back, 120-111. With the Heat looking to make some noise in the East this season, there was business that needed to be handled for the starting lineup.
Wednesday was another game where fans got to see the Heat’s starting lineup of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, and Bam Adebayo. Here are three takeaways from Miami’s win over Atlanta:
A surprising amount of time for the Heat’s starting lineup
Maybe to some fans’ surprise, the Heat’s projected starting lineup came back for the second game of the back to back which shows that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see as much as time with them together to get ready for later this month.
With how big of an issue injuries and health has been the past few seasons, one could have thought they would have kept them out to preserve health. Before the contest, Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints that it would be a “similar” approach to the last few games, but wants to leave people in “suspense.”
However, Wednesday marks their third game played together, so Spoelstra and company will take any opportunity they can get so each of the five can get their role down pact and be comfortable with one another. What’s more surprising about the Heat’s starters playing in the first two quarters, it is that they all played well into the third quarter where they took a one-point lead with just over seven minutes left in the period.
They once again found their flow as the game went along after an inconsistent start as while we’ll touch on Butler’s impressive outing, Herro had 19 points, Adebayo had seven, Terry Rozier had six, and Jovic had five. They started the excitement that led to a huge lead in the third period.
An energizing performance for Heat’s Jimmy Butler
As people continue to question the effort level of Butler, Wednesday’s outing virtually can put that narrative to bed of if there was any concern for this season. Butler finished the game with 24 points on an effective eight for 11 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and even two steals showing defensive intensity.
There is definitely a sense with the star that there is way more motivation this time around as one could assume it’s because Butler is looking for a contract extension in what is a “prove it” type of season. However, it’s important to note that it is still the preseason and it is off of one game, so it’s smart to temper expectations.
Still, Butler played his style of basketball which is intense, taking what the defense gives to him, and his game plan which is playing bully ball and finding his shot in the paint. There is no doubt that it’s a great sign of things to come for himself, the team, and especially the fans that are expecting his best season yet in a Heat uniform.
The Heat’s second unit keeps up the momentum
While it was an up and down day for the Heat’s second unit led by such as Jaime Jaquez Jr., they came alive in the third quarter after the starters were done as they went on a 24-2 run which was a highlight of the period. Haywood Highsmith and Kevin Love especially were taking full advantage as both made five combined three-pointers.
The bench for Miami is a solid unit that also has such integral pieces like Duncan Robinson, Alec Burks, and Dru Smith which doesn’t even include rookies Pelle Larsson and Kel’el Ware who both could see extended minutes as the season goes along. Highsmith, who got the game off Tuesday, shined Wednesday scoring 16 points (6-8 shooting) while showing his “three and D” style of play which will be crucial for the Heat.
Miami has one more preseason game left on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies on the road until Oct. 23 in the regular season opener against the Orlando Magic.
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