South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Lowry return welcome amid the stretch run
The timing is largely coincidental, with the Miami Heat for over a week having targeted Saturday’s road game against the Orlando Magic as the return date for Kyle Lowry from the knee issue that has had him out since the start of February.
The fact that it comes in the wake of the Heat committing 20 or more turnovers in two of their last four games makes it all the more heartening.
“That’s my brother,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “I’m glad to have him back. He’s going to change the game in so many ways for this team. He’s going to help us get in a groove, he’s going to help us win some games down the stretch moving into the most important part of the season.”
The Heat largely had downplayed the timetable, not confirming until after Friday night’s home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers that Lowry would be traveling, and not upgrading Lowry to questionable until midday Saturday. He then was declared available and active 90 minutes prior to tipoff at the Amway Center.
Even with Lowry, 36, in the midst of an uneven season, the sense in the locker room had been that the Heat could not be at their best without the six-time former All-Star.
With Lowry, the known quantity makes it easier to face the unknown of a possible franchise first-ever trip to the one- or two-and-done play-in round.
“Just stability,” Heat guard Max Strus of Lowry’s presence, “a vet who has been around, a point guard who is going to keep everybody in order and just making us play the right way.
“Kyle has been around for 17 years. He knows how to play the game. He does it the right way every single time and he’s easy to play with and makes everybody better around him.”
With Lowry back, it means Erik Spoelstra can further sort out the backcourt components of his rotation for the final four weeks of the regular season.
“I just want,” forward Caleb Martin said, “to have everybody healthy and available, and figure out where we’re going, who is going to be doing what, and what roles.
“The more time we spend together as a whole, it’s going to be better for everybody. I just love when everybody is available to play and I love when everybody is healthy.”
Martin, Robinsons out
Complete health, however, will have to wait, with Martin ruled out of Saturday’s game at midday due to knee soreness. It is the first game Martin has missed since a five-game absence due to a quadriceps strain in early January.
In addition, guard Duncan Robinson on Saturday was listed in NBA healthand-safety protocols, which typically is the league’s designation for players either with COVID, in COVID testing or in COVID close contact.
Robinson had been listed as out for Friday’s victory over the Cavaliers due to illness.
The Heat’s other Robinson, two-way center Orlando Robinson, has, as expected, returned to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where Heat firstround pick Nikola Jovic remains.
End game
Yes, Spoelstra said, it was Butler who decided it was better to intentionally foul Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell with the Heat up three with 5.6 seconds remaining Friday night, rather than allow for a potential tying 3-pointer.
Mitchell made the first of his two free throws, intentionally missed the second, with Butler securing the rebound.
The Heat had been burned by a tying 3-pointer by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown at the end of the fourth quarter in an overtime win earlier this season, later surviving a Mitchell potential game tying 3-pointer in a victory in Cleveland in January.
“That was Jimmy talking about it after the Boston game and we were all talking about it after the Cleveland game,” said Spoelstra, who typically prefers not to foul in such three-point situations. “Look, it’s a philosophical thing. But when a team doesn’t have a timeout and then you have the smartest, quickest player making those decisions, you feel comfortable with it.
“And I felt fully comfortable with Jimmy making that decision and I thought he just timed it right and made a really smart play.”
End game, too
Prior to that Butler foul on Mitchell, Mitchell tried to get into the head of Martin, who was sent to the line with the Heat up one with 8.9 seconds to play. Martin converted his shots, his only attempts of the night from the line.
“He said, ‘You gave us one. It would be nice if you gave us two,’ “Martin said of a late-game miss earlier in the season against the Cavaliers. “I said, ‘I don’t plan on it. I plan on knocking ‘em down.’ So we were laughing about it.
“Me and him went back and forth since the beginning of the game. So it’s always good to have a little trash talk. It’s good.”