On the second night of a back-to-back, the Miami Heat brought their A-game. After a nail-biting and disappointing loss to the Toronto Raptors the night before, the Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 112-106.
The Starting Five
Approximately one hour before tipoff, Miami announced that star Jimmy Butler would not play. He was suffering from right-ankle soreness. In place of Butler, Kelly Olynyk filled in the open spot in the starting lineup.
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Alongside Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Jae Crowder and Bam Adebayo, Olynyk helped lead the Heat to a much-needed victory. He totaled 15 points, dished eight assists, and grabbed six rebounds while playing in 32 minutes. Nunn had a rather quiet night against the Celtics, totaling just four points and one rebound in 17 minutes of play. Robinson, a known sharp-shooter, gathered 21 points (6-12 3PT), three rebounds and two assists. Boston may want to guard him more tightly in the future.
Crowder, who only became a Heat starter on August 1st against the Denver Nuggets, totaled eight points and four rebounds in his 28 minutes of action. Adebayo had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds along with two assists. He also shot 18 free throws, sinking 11.
In a postgame interview, Adebayo said “I lost sleep over it” when asked about his aggressiveness in the previous day’s loss. Adebayo changed his mindset and made sure his team was victorious in the battle against Boston.
Big Bench
The Heat’s bench played a significant role in the team’s success, as they always do.
34-year-old Goran Dragic led the charge off the bench. As the team’s sixth man, Dragic totaled 20 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. He also went 7-7 at the free-throw line. Dragic played 28 key minutes and found himself digging into his “bag of tricks” in order to score
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20-year-old rookie Tyler Herro put together an impressive stat line of 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. Shooting three of seven from three-point range, Herro revealed himself as yet another significant threat from deep.
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High-flying Dunk Contest Champion Derrick Jones Jr. put up six points and grabbed two rebounds in 21 minutes of play. Andre Iguodala stuffed the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks.
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What’s Next?
On Thursday, the Heat will take on the Eastern Conference’s top team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite being the East’s number one team, the Heat won both meetings before the shutdown occurred. Adebayo will have to play his best, and only his best, in order to stop Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, who will most likely be named the NBA MVP for the second straight season.
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