Photo By: Heat.com

For the first time this season, the Miami Heat are two games over .500. They started the first half strong, leading the Los Angeles Clippers by 18 points at halftime. And just like most Heat games, it was a rollercoaster. After a strong first half, Miami went through a rough third quarter. But still, Miami was able to overcome the Clippers comeback and win the game. With the win, Miami moves to 20-18 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Monday’s win.

Adebayo Sets the Tone

Coming into Monday’s game, Bam Adebayo clearly had the matchup advantage against Ivica Zubac. The last time these two teams faced each other, they doubled Adebayo all game. Adebayo still scored 31 points in that game. The adjustment the Clippers made this time was doubling Jimmy Butler instead. This allowed Adebayo to get his one-on-one matchup with Zubac. Adebayo has the quickness to get past Zubac and can knock down his midrange jumper. The midrange jumper was falling for Adebayo and he also got some buckets around the basket. He was clearly set on being assertive this game. And he was throughout. Adebayo finished the night with 31 points and 13 rebounds.

Miami Heat’s Turd Quarter Moves in the New Year

When the year turned 2023, the Heat hoped to leave their third quarter troubles behind them. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case on Monday. Despite a strong first half, Miami came back in the third quarter a totally different team. They couldn’t get consecutive defensive stops, as Paul George got his isolation game going. Offensively, the team was stagnant on that end. The ball stopped moving and players weren’t moving. It was all just isolation, which is not Heat basketball. It seems as if Miami gets too comfortable at times whenever they start off strong. They start to believe the game is out of reach and they can relax. Too often Miami settles with tough shots and going away from their ball movement. This is one of the things Miami needs to clean up starting this year.

Oladipo’s Offense Trending in the Right Direction

There appears to be a huge development coming from the Heat’s roster. And it’s coming from Victor Oladipo. Coming off his best performance of the season, Oladipo continued to excel on the offensive end on Monday. He provided consistent rim pressure, and his jumpers were falling as well. Defensively, he continued to make things tough on the Clippers guards. But most importantly, it’s his offense that has been the story of the past two games. Miami needs that offensive spark off the bench and Oladipo becoming more consistent certainly helps. However, Miami will continue to be cautious with the Heat guard. Oladipo has yet to play in back-to-back games this season. Oladipo finished the night with 15 points.

Butler Returns

After sitting out Saturday’s game, Butler was back in the lineup on Monday. It was a quiet game for the Heat’s star player. As mentioned earlier, the Clippers made adjustments to double Butler, mainly at the elbow. Butler also struggled from the field and from the free throw line. With Butler struggling, he deferred to Tyler Herro and Adebayo, who both had a good night. This wasn’t his night, and he didn’t try to force the action. When Miami needed to stop the Clippers run in the third quarter, he drew two fouls and got to the free throw line. Butler finished the night with nine points and six rebounds.

Next Up: The Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Game tips off at 10:30pm eastern time.