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Before Monday’s victory against the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters, “this is an important week for us.” And he’s right. After a disappointing start to the season, the Heat need to get back on track. Since the season began, it’s been an uphill climb to reach the .500 record mark. Now, the Heat are seeking to jumpstart their season by playing well on their four-game road trip. However, there’s another important date coming up—December 15th. Why is that date important? Well, it’s when most of last off-season’s signings become trade eligible. It’s usually the unofficial start to trade season.

Even though the Heat had statement wins against the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, their biggest issue has been consistency. One night they’ll resemble the team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago and the next night they would drop wins against lottery teams. At 13-15, Miami currently sits in the 10th spot, the final spot for the play-in tournament. For a team and organization with championship aspirations, this is not an ideal spot to be in. This is why moves are needed. As of this week, Miami has already been linked to a few players in the rumor mill.

Jae Crowder

The most obvious and favorable one is the Jae Crowder, who last played with the Heat in 2020. Starting alongside Bam Adebayo in the starting lineup, Crowder helped the Heat reached their first finals since 2014. Crowder provided long range shooting, rebounding, and defense. He’s very familiar with the Heat’s system and knows how to play his role well. In his last season in Miami, he averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and shot 35 percent from three-point range. He’s been on the trade market since the training camp and away from his current team. Now, it’s been reported by the Athletics Shams Charnia that the December 15th date has reenergized their pursuit for the former Heat forward.

Bojan Bogdonavic

Next up, we have Bojan Bogdonavic, the Detroit Pistons sharpshooter. Out of all current targets, this may be the least likely one. Despite the reported Heat interest, it’s also been reported that the Pistons plan on keeping the forward in Detroit. Bogdanovic is not the defender that Crowder is, but he’ll fit nicely next to Adebayo as a floor spacer. At 44 percent from downtown, his sharpshooting will open up driving lanes for both Jimmy Butler and Adebayo. It will be a big boost for a Heat offense that’s currently ranked 27th in the league. Bogdanovic is currently having a strong season in Detroit, where he’s averaging 21 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51 percent from the field.

Nerlens Noel

Another forward the Heat have been linked to is Bogdanovic’s teammate, Nerlens Noel. Noel was traded back in July by the New York Knicks as part of a salary dump. So far, he has not been a part of the Pistons rotation this season. And that’s because of the Pistons crowded frontcourt. He would be an interesting fit in Miami as a backup center behind Adebayo. Center depth behind Adebayo is a necessity for Miami. Dewayne Dedmon has struggled all season. Omer Yurtseven hasn’t played and probably won’t return until later in the season. Miami is also not ready to throw rookie center Nikola Jovic in the mix yet. As a defensive minded big, Noel could help Miami with shot blocking and rebounding.

Overall, all three players have some type of skillset that can help Miami. The next question is how Miami would go about pulling these deals off. It may require them to find a third team to help facilitate a deal. If they cannot find a deal, they may have to wait until the buyout for a good player to be available for them. But the time is moving fast, and Miami needs to get back on track. We’ll see what direction they decide to go.

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After two disappointing losses, the Miami Heat needed a bounce back win on Thursday. They took on a Los Angeles Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard. Miami was also without it’s starting point guard Kyle Lowry. It was a close game for the majority of Thursday night. There was 25 lead changes and 11 ties. With the game close in the fourth period, Miami put the ball in the hands of Jimmy Butler. Butler scored the last eight points for Miami to seal the game. With the win, Miami moves to 12-14 for the season. Here are my four takeaways from Thursday’s win over the Clippers.

Bam Adebayo Dominates Inside

When Bam Adebayo is aggressive, it makes the Heat better. He’s been aggressive for the Heat for the past couple of weeks. Most importantly, he’s found his go-to move on the offensive end. Adebayo tends to go with the face-up pull up jumpers whenever he gets the ball. But on Thursday, the majority of Adebayo’s points came in the paint. Because of Adebayo’s aggressiveness, defenses are starting to double him more in the mid post. But yet, Adebayo still found ways to attack the paint. On one play in the third period, when he got doubled, Adebayo dribbled to the three-point line and reversed back to the basket for the layup. This was a major adjustment for Adebayo and will be key as the season progresses. Adebayo finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds.

Butler Facilitates Early, Closes Late

With Lowry out, Butler was the facilitator very early. He found Dru Smith and Tyler Herro for the floaters in the paint. After that, he went into attack mode the rest of the first period. Butler had 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game. The majority of those points coming in the paint. He also converted on two three-pointers with the defense giving him space. Most importantly, he closed the game down the stretch. Butler hunted for the mismatches in the clutch and used his size to score over his defender. Overall, it was a great all-around game for Butler. The Heat all-star ended the night with 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting and eight assists.

Martin Keeps the Heat Afloat

Despite Butler getting going early, Miami trailed by 10 in the second period. But then, Miami started its comeback led by one man. And that man was Caleb Martin, who had 10 points in the second quarter. With the Heat’s offense struggling, Martin provided much needed shot creation. Martin also got going from beyond the arc with four three-pointers. Of course, one didn’t count because he stepped out of bounds. With Martin hitting his three-pointers, it created much needed gravity for Adebayo and others to get going in the paint. For all the talk about the need for a starting power forward, Martin has been impressive for the Heat this season. Martin finished the night with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Oladipo Working His Way Back

Victor Oladipo appeared in his second game of the season. Yes, he was still showing rust. Oladipo did get into a groove in the fourth period, scoring off some nice midrange jumpers. It’s likely going to take some time for Oladipo to get into a rhythm. Especially after missing the first two months of the season. But you still can see where he can make an impact with the team’s second unit. He’s shown he can defend on the ball at a high level. And there’s confidence his offense can round into form as he continues to get reps. On Thursday, Oladipo finished the night with six points in 21 minutes of action.

Next Up: The San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Game tips off at 5:00pm eastern.

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The Miami Heat played against the Boston Celtics for the second consecutive time this week. And it was a wild one. Both teams went back and forth throughout the whole game. In the third period, the Celtics pushed their lead to 13, but then Miami trimmed the lead down to six at the end of the third. It appeared that Jimmy Butler closed the door on the Celtics when he buried a jumper with 5.6 seconds left in regulation. But then, Jaylen Brown banked in a 30-footer that ended up sending the game into overtime. Still, the Heat were able to get the job done in overtime and came away with the win. The win moves Miami to 11-12 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Friday’s win over Boston.

Jimmy Butler is HIM!

After missing seven games with a knee injury, Butler was back with the team in Boston. He returned to the arena where he completed his masterpiece in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in May. Despite not putting up a similar performance, he was still impactful. Butler was crashing the boards on both ends, playing the passing lanes, and playing terrific man defense. Most importantly, he closed the game in superstar fashion. In regulation, he made baskets on back-to-back possessions in the final minute. In overtime, he closed the game with a tough fadeaway jumper over Al Horford. When Miami needed him most, Butler came through. In the end, he finished the night with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Bam Adebayo Continues his Scoring Burst

Bam Adebayo has been very impressive on both ends for the Heat. Especially on the offensive end. However, the question entering Friday’s game was whether it would continue. Well, it did. Despite Butler’s return, Adebayo remained aggressive on the offensive end. There were times when Butler would defer to Adebayo in late-game situations to get a bucket. Adebayo took advantage of his matchups with his quickness. He was able to shake his defenders and convert the fadeaway jumper on them. He also got to the free-throw line multiple times. In the end, Adebayo finished with 28 points and seven rebounds. Adebayo is now averaging 30.3 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 60.8% from the field.

Herro’s Early Scoring Boost

With Butler back, the Heat went back with their normal starters. This was the eight time their starters played together. There have been questions about who would take the step back to make it work. But on Friday, the starters were still able to have their moments throughout the game. Tyler Herro got his scoring going early, with 18 points at halftime. He was hitting the quick pull up jumpers off the dribble handoffs. Additionally, he displayed shot creation with step back jumpers in the midrange. He injured his ankle in the second quarter but appeared to be just fine. Herro finished the night with 26 points and five rebounds.

Highsmith Stays in Rotation

The Heat seemed to have find another developmental project on the team. And his name is Haywood Highsmith. It’s been a rough start for the Heat forward, but he seems to have picked up his play. Most importantly, he’s earning the coaching staffs’ trust. Even though Miami had most of its team back, Highsmith remained in the Heat’s rotation. While he only had two points, Highsmith played terrific defense on Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who finished the night with 14 points, 16 below his scoring average. He also got to finish the game ahead of starter Caleb Martin. Highsmith is quick on the ball and great on his defensive rotations.

Next Up: Memphis Grizzlies on 8pm eastern

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The Jimmy Butler watch continues. The forward appears likely to miss at least one of the Miami Heat‘s matchups against the Boston Celtics, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. As of Tuesday afternoon, the forward has yet to join the team in Boston. As a result, the team is preparing for their star player to sit out Wednesday’s game against Boston, stretching his game absence to seven. Miami will practice again on Thursday and should have a better read on Butler’s availability for Friday.

No Word from Jimmy Butler and Heat

There’s been no word on the severity of Butler’s injury from the Heat. Miami usually keeps quiet on the severity on the players injuries and only provides their status on injury reports. Butler has been training in Miami while away from the team. He posted a couple of workout videos on social media this past weekend. Like the Heat, Butler has been silent on his injury.

In Butler’s absence, the Heat have gone 3-3. They lost the first three games on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards. Since then, they’ve won their last three games against the Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks. While Butler has been sidelined, the Heat have received contributions from Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, and Bam Adebayo. Adebayo has been taking on the scoring burden during the three-game win streak, with 38 points and 32 points the past two games.

Preparing for Boston’s Firepower

Miami has their work cut out for them tomorrow in Boston. The Celtics enter Wednesday’s game as the league’s highest-scoring team (121.3 PPG). Conversely, the Heat are ranked 28th in points per game (108.4). Despite their man-to-man defensive struggles, Miami has quietly crept into the top 10 defensive rating in the league. The Heat have primarily been using their zone defense, mainly with guys being out. However, the Heat’s zone defense is going to be in for a huge challenge against Boston’s great offense. We’ll see how that works out on Wednesday.

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The Miami Heat entered the night on a seven-game losing road streak. This was an important game for the Heat on their new four-game road trip. Miami started the game sluggish on both ends. The Atlanta Hawks got an easy bucket with Miami in a 1-3-1 zone. Miami ended up giving up 60 points at the half. But then, Miami picked up their defensive intensity in the second half. The Heat did a great job of forcing Atlanta into tough shots and protected the paint. In the end, Miami closed the game with an eight-point victory. With the win, Miami moves to 10-11 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s win over Miami.

Bam’s Growth

Is Bam Adebayo reaching all-NBA talent status? So far, he’s looking like it. For the second consecutive game, Adebayo scored 30 points. He started the game off strong as well. Adebayo keep getting his points in the middle of the floor. He did it from the midrange and also got his scoring down in the paint. Adebayo’s scoring game is steadily increasing while remaining an elite defender on the defensive end. Defensively, he was covering so much ground in the zone. Additionally, he was boxing his man out and looking to push the ball in transition. It was great sight to see from the Heat big man. Hopefully, he keeps this up when Jimmy Butler returns. Overall, another fantastic night from the Heat big man. Adebayo finished the night with 30 points and eight rebounds.

Caleb’s Strong Fourth Quarter

Caleb Martin has been hooping these past few games. He’s been taking his defenders off the dribble and creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. The opposing defender often dared him to settle for the catch and three-point shots. However, Martin displayed great patience and never fell for the trap. In the fourth quarter, Martin kept the Heat afloat while Adebayo was on the bench. Martin was great in transition and beating his defender one-on-one with his euro step move. Martin was great on both ends tonight. On one sequence, he got the block on one end and converted a three pointer on the other end. Martin ended the night with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Herro’s First Triple Double

It was another quiet scoring night for Tyler Herro. Some of the shots Herro took were not good for the offense. The shots were often taken early in the shot clock. But Herro did well in other areas. The passing game from Herro was there on Sunday night, especially with Adebayo. The best action on the Heat’s offense is the Herro-Adebayo pick and roll. Miami kept going with it in the third quarter as they climbed back into the game. Herro would dribble the ball and find Adebayo for the easy dunk. The Hawks couldn’t find the right adjustments to stop it. Herro ended the night with his first career triple double of the season. Herro finished the night with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Solid Minutes from Dedmon

Dewayne Dedmon had himself a good night off the bench. He was able to provide good stretches with Adebayo off the floor. He shot 6-of-7 from the field and converted one three-pointer. He got a couple of rebounds as well. The defense at times is questionable, especially in drop coverages. But overall, he was able to spell minutes for Adebayo. And that’s most important. If he can play good minutes consistently, it certainly will help this team. Dedmon finished the night with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Next Up: The Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Game tips off at 7:30 pm eastern.

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The Miami Heat faced the Washington Wizards again on Wednesday night. Unlike last time, the Heat were a little healthier in this one. Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent were back in this one. Miami jumped to a huge 21-point lead in the third quarter. However, like we seen in recent games, the Heat allowed the opposing team to climbed back into the game. The Wizards cut the lead to three heading into the fourth quarter and briefly had the lead in the fourth period. In the end, the Heat were able to escape with the victory thanks to late heroics from Herro. With the win, Miami moves to 8-11 for the season. Here are my takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Wizards.

Strong First Half for Kyle Lowry

With the team facing so many injuries, Kyle Lowry has stepped up his game. He’s been playing huge minutes and leading the team in the team’s stars absence. Despite the losses, Lowry has been the one bright spot for Miami. Lowry continued his strong play on Wednesday night. He had a career-high 24 points in the first half against the Wizards. Lowry was hitting from downtown in the first half with five three-pointers. He also got into the paint a couple of times and drew fouls as well. This was the best we had seen from the Heat point guard in a long while. Lowry finished the night with 28 points and six rebounds.

Herro Back

After sitting out two weeks with the ankle injury, Herro was back in the Heat’s lineup. However, it was a uneven first half for him. He picked up two quick fouls in the first three minutes of the game. And later picked up his third in the second quarter. There was a scary moment when he landed hard on his side after a strong drive to the basket. The good news is he got back up on his own and walked it out. Herro later bounced back with a huge fourth quarter. He hit a couple of tough buckets to give the Heat’s offense life in the fourth quarter. Herro finished the night with 17 points, all scored in the second half.

Caleb Martin’s Night

It was a good night for Heat forward Caleb Martin, who played the small forward role in Jimmy Butler’s absence. This was the second straight game Martin has played in that role. Throughout the season, Martin has been used as the power forward with the team playing small ball. But on Wednesday night, he was back in a familiar role as the small forward. And unsurprisingly, he played very well. Instead of focusing on dribble handoffs, Martin was able to play with and without the basketball. He was a big part of the Heat’s offense early on with his slashing to the basket. Additionally, he played a huge role in keeping Miami afloat while the Wizards made a huge run. Martin finished the night with 24 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.

Third Quarter Issues

Once again, Miami built a huge lead on a team in the first half. They lead by as many as 21 points in the third quarter. But then, the Wizards came back in the third as the Heat’s offense got stagnant and took advantage of the Heat’s bad transition defense. Lately, this has been a recurring issue for the Heat. Losing a 20-point lead means the team is doing badly on both ends. Offensively, the basketball seems to be sticking a lot and not moving around. The team has a bad habit of going away from what built that huge lead. Given the injuries the team is suffering from, there’s little margin of error for this Heat team. They have to do a better job of holding on to their leads.

Next Up: The Washington Wizards on Friday. Game tips off at 8pm eastern.

The Miami Heat was just a shot away from reaching the NBA Finals last season. They pushed the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics to seven games, only to fall short after the missed Jimmy Butler three-pointer. However, many still predicted Miami to be at least one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. So far, that hasn’t been case 18 games in the season. After suffering a 105-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Heat have fallen to 7-11 for the season. One of the biggest reasons has been the depleted rotation due to injuries from others, including their top players Butler and Tyler Herro.

Heat Needing Reinforcements

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows how tough it is to play without his best players. He’s done it before and sometimes found ways to get it done without them. It just hasn’t been the case this season. And he knows the team cannot afford to fall too deep in the Eastern Conference. If you fall to deep in the standings around January, you lose a shot at the third seed and now found yourself competing for the play-in for a shot at the playoffs. So now, Spoelstra is pleading for some of his injured players to play, even if it’s in limited capacity.

“At some point, hopefully we’ll be getting some guys back. Even if they’re not fully 100 percent, as long as they’re close enough, maybe they can give us a little bit of reinforcement, even if it’s just short minutes,” Spoelstra said.

Depending on Younger Players

For the past three games, the Heat been having seven through nine available players. Against the Timberwolves on Monday, they were without Butler, Herro, Udonis Haslem, Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent, Omer Yurtseven, and Duncan Robinson. Six of those players would’ve gotten minutes if healthy. With those players out, it’s forced Kyle Lowry to play big minutes in recent games, including 51 minutes in the overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. Additionally, Spoelstra has also had to depend on inexperienced players like Haywood Highsmith, Jamal Cain, and Nikola Jovic among others. This is why Spoelstra is now pushing more his key players to push through their injuries.

“Just give us whatever you have,” Spoelstra added. “Whatever you have, just give us. If you’re used to playing 30 minutes, just give us 15. If you’re used to playing 20 minutes, give us eight, so we can kind of manage things right now.”

The Heat will host the Wizards on Wednesday at 7pm eastern. Hopefully, when the game tips off, Spoelstra had some extra players back in time.

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Both the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns entered the night missing their key starters. Chris Paul was out with a heel injury and Tyler Herro was out with the ankle injury. It was an entertaining first half with both teams hot from three-point range. The game took a turn when the Suns got a 13-point lead over the Heat in third period. Once Miami trimmed the lead in the fourth quarter, the Suns built the lead back up to double digits. However, the Heat got a spark from Bam Adebayo that brought Miami back in the game. In the end, Jimmy Butler got the defensive stop on Devin Booker that sealed the Heat victory. With the win, Miami moves to 7-7 for the season. Here’s my takeaways from Miami’s win over the Suns.

Butler Gets the Clutch Block

We know how important Butler is to the team. Offensively, he’s the guy the team goes to when the offense gets shaky. There’s been plenty of times when Butler has had to will his team to victory. But tonight, he did it on the defensive end against Booker. After grabbing the offensive rebound, Booker tried to take Butler one-on-one in the game’s final seconds. Butler stayed right with him moving his feet. Once Booker went up for the shot, Butler blocked him without fouling and the game was sealed. Butler has saved the team many times with his offensive plays, but it was the defense this time. He ended the night with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.

Bam Adebayo Fourth Quarter Takeover

This was a performance many Heat fans have been waiting for. Seeing Adebayo dominated on both ends in the fourth quarter was a great sight to see. The basketball was Adebayo’s hands down the stretch. He was attacking the rim with purpose. Especially in transition. One of the plays he had in transition was a ridiculous circus shot after the foul. And he kept going from there. He had another and-1 basket that cut the lead down to three. Adebayo had 15 points in the final period. This was one of Adebayo’s most impactful games. Hopefully this will be a game he can build off of. Adebayo finished the night with 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Defensive Schemes A Work In Progress

Last season, the defensive end was a position of strength for Miami. Their switching scheme was often successful because they had the players for it. With Miami lacking size, they have often been punished by smart teams, as the Suns did with Kyle Lowry on DeAndre Ayton. On Monday, the Suns were getting good looks over and over again. The bigger issue is that the Heat are often too predictable with their soft switching. They should mix in a couple of 2-3 zones and more drop coverages with Adebayo as well. We also saw them try to blitz Booker in the second half with Dewayne Dedmon and that didn’t go well. Booker and Ayton kept punishing the Heat blitzes with Miami slow on their rotations. The Heat still need to seek size in the trade market to put alongside Adebayo.

Random Scrub Heat Killer Strikes

Miami has this thing where a random role player would have a dominating game against them. Heat fans on social media often refer to those players as “Random Scrub Heat Killers”, or RSHKs for short. Duane Washington Jr. was the RSHK of the night. He came out on fire, scoring 16 points in five minutes of action in the first half. At times, he was looking like Stephen Curry from beyond the arc. Some of it had to do with the Heat’s defensive lapses. And the other is the player catching fire at the wrong time. The good news is that Washington Jr cooled down in the second half.

Next Up: The Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm eastern time.

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The Miami Heat are coming off a close victory over the Charlotte Hornets, who were without three key players. It’s been an underwhelming start for the Heat this season with a 5-7 record. Through 12 games, Miami hasn’t looked close to the team that clinched the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. Last year, they had the 12th-best offensive rating at 113.0 and the fourth-best defensive rating at 108.4. However, so far this year, they have fallen to 21st in offensive rating (109.8) and 13th in defensive rating (110.8). Normally, contending teams are in the top ten in at least one of the categories. Unfortunately, the Heat are not in the top ten in either category this season.

Miami’s biggest roster hole has been the frontcourt position. Since P.J. Tucker departed to the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami hasn’t found a replacement for him. Instead, they decided to keep the roster intact and see how the current team looks. Usually, teams wait until after the first quarter of the season to engage in trade talks with other teams. There’s not much panic from the front office to make moves this early in the season. Additionally, the trade deadline is in February so there’s no pressure to get a deal done. And there’s players who won’t be available to be traded until December and January.

Jae Crowder Talks Picking Up

With that being said, the team is likely still keeping an eye on Jae Crowder. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Phoenix Suns have been re-engaging teams in Crowder trade talks in recent days.

“In the last few days, from what I understand, the Suns have picked up their Jae Crowder conversations,” said Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective Podcast. “And tried to reengage on some old talks, so I am told. “Now, does that mean they will find a deal? Obviously they’ve had some impetus to do that. It was bad news when Cam Johnson got hurt, but good news he was able to have a surgery where it was a partial removal as opposed to a repair, which would have meant him being out for the year.”

It’s no secret that the Heat would love a reunion with Crowder. Crowder last played for the Heat during the 2019-2020 season after being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade. He was a key part in the Heat’s role in reaching the 2020 NBA Finals. The forward left Miami after the season to sign a three-year, $30 million deal with the Suns. Crowder could help fill the void that was left after Tucker’s departure. The Heat really need help on the frontcourt, where they are very thin at. Crowder’s not going to solve all of the Heat’s problems, but they really need someone who can space the floor and defend on the other end.

The Challenge in Acquiring Crowder

However, a pathway to a deal will be difficult. Currently, the Heat have three players they can’t move until at least January. They could trade Duncan Robinson, but Phoenix may not be interested in taking on Robinson’s contract. Robinson has three years left on his deal worth nearly $60 million. The Suns are looking for someone to fill the void with Cam Johnson out. Robinson has struggled at times to stay in the Heat’s rotation and it’s hard to envision the Suns taking a tax hit to acquire. It will most likely take a three-team deal to get a deal done.

While a pathway to a deal remains difficult, the Heat will likely keep poking around as long as the forward is available.

Photo Credit: Heat.com

The revenge tour continued for the Miami Heat on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, who defeated them on Saturday. Both teams were without their top players with De’Aaron Fox and Jimmy Butler being sidelined. Other guys had to step up in their stars’ absence. It was a very competitive game with both teams trading baskets. The game went down to the wire. But in the end, Tyler Herro answered the call. Herro pump-faked and converted the game winning three-pointer to seal Miami’s victory. With the win, Miami moves to 4-5 for the season. Here are my takeaways from the game.

Kyle Lowry Sets the Tone

Without Butler, the Heat needed someone to pick up the scoring slack. Surprisingly, it was Kyle Lowry who took the scoring charge and led the team with 17 first half points. The 17 points matched a season-high for the Heat starting point guard. Lowry was aggressive from the start scoring the team’s first points from behind the three-point line. He also got in the paint a couple of times for the layup. This made his pick-and-roll game with Bam Adebayo easier. Lowry’s aggressive also made it easier for his teammates as well. He made a clutch basket down the stretch to give Miami the lead. In the end, he finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.

Herro to the Rescue!

After leaving Tuesday’s game with an eye injury, Herro was back in action on Wednesday. Herro’s scoring was essential without Butler. He had a quiet start to the game and was playing more off the ball than usual. However, he came through when the Heat needed him most in the fourth period. Miami was trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter. The Heat’s offense was stalling, and they needed Herro’s shot creation. Herro got into his midrange pull game two possessions in a row off the pick-and-roll action. On the final possession, the ball was in Herro’s hands. After a pump fake, he leaned in and sunk the game-winning three-pointer. Herro finished the night with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks.

Quality Minutes from The Mechanic

The backup center minutes have been problematic for the Heat this season. When accessing the issue, the first name that comes up is Dewayne Dedmon. Dedmon hasn’t had a great start to the season up to this point. He’s been bad on both ends of the floor. But on Wednesday, he provided some quality minutes off the bench. He hit a couple of triples from the top of the key. Dedmon also crashed the boards and dished the ball to the cutting teammate. He did have one possession where he attempted a fadeaway jumper over a shorter player. Overall, it was still a solid performance from the Heat backup center. Dedmon finished the night with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Miami’s 2-3 Zone Struggles

With Butler and Victor Oladipo sidelined, the Heat were missing two of their best perimeter defenders. Both guys are good on-ball defenders and can guard at the point of the attack. To combat this, Miami utilized the 2-3 zone early on since they were playing multiple negative defenders at one time. The zone usually allows Miami to hide its negative defenders and keep them away from isolation. Unfortunately, the Kings’ quick guards were able to get into the paint and messed up the zone. There were times when a Kings’ guard was able to get into the paint without much resistance. This will be something the Heat coaches will discuss in the film sessions.

Next Up: The Indiana Pacers on Friday. Game tips off at 7pm eastern time.