Takeaways from the Miami Heat’s Victory over the Spurs

Photo by: Heat.com

For the first time this season, the Miami Heat have reached above the .500 mark. Playing in Mexico City, Miami was missing a few key role players. After losing to the San Antonio Spurs a week ago, Miami needed to get their revenge on Saturday. And that’s exactly what happened. Miami didn’t play well on both ends in the first half. The offense was clunky at times, and they were slow on their defensive rotations. But in the end, Miami picked up their defensive intensity and was able to seal the victory. With the win, Miami moves to 16-15 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Saturday’s victory over the Spurs.

Butler leads the Way

The last time these two teams played each other, Jimmy Butler put up 30 points against the Spurs. In that game, Miami was trailing and relied heavily on Butler’s isolation scoring. On Saturday, it was another back-and-forth game between the two times. With Miami trailing at halftime, they needed their best player to take control of the game. Butler did that in the third period to keep the Heat afloat. Butler kept attacking the paint and drawing fouls on the Spurs defenders. His ability to provide rim pressure and draw fouls was very essential for Miami at that point. It kept Miami in good position to win. Butler ended the night with 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

The Non-Bam Minutes

When Bam Adebayo first exited the game in the first quarter, Miami had a 20-12 lead over the Spurs. Guess what happened when he returned to the game? Well, Miami trailed 25-20. The Spurs continued to involve Dewayne Dedmon in their offensive attack. They kept attacking Dedmon in the drop coverage forcing him to play 2-on-1s. It hasn’t been a good year for Dedmon on both ends. He’s been inconsistent in his minutes and also has been dealing with a lingering foot injury. As has been the case throughout the season, the non-Bam minutes continues to be a problem. They’ll need to find a frontcourt piece through trade at some point this season.

Duncan Robinson Provides Shooting Boost

Duncan Robinson provided some quality minutes off the bench for the Heat on Saturday. He shot the ball well from the beyond the arc. Robinson was 3-for-6 from downtown. In addition to his shooting, Miami was also running their offensive sets for him again. On one play, Tyler Herro drew two defenders and threw a skip pass over to Robinson for the open shot. Robinson made it. In the first possession of the fourth period, Robinson caught the ball off a flare screen, drew the double, and found a rolling Adebayo for an easy dunk. He later scored an and-1 bucket off a dribble handoff involving Adebayo. When Robinson is rolling offensively, it creates plenty of opportunities for Miami’s offense. The problem is he hasn’t been consistent as much this season. Robinson finished the night with 12 points.

Victor Oladipo’s Elite Defense

After sitting out the last game for rest, Victor Oladipo was back on the floor on Saturday. He was the first reserve off the bench. It was still a quiet game offensively for him. He’s still trying to find his offensive rhythm as he gets his reps. However, his defense has been elite and huge for Miami. On Saturday, he was very active on the defensive end getting deflections and five steals. Yes, I said five steals. Oladipo’s defense played a key role in the Heat’s victory over the Spurs. In the fourth period, Oladipo picked up three steals in a span of three minutes. The offensive game remains a work in progress, but his defense has been on another level. Oladipo finished the night with seven points.

Next up: The Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Game tips off at 7:30pm eastern.