Thrills and surprises
Okpala comes through with unexpected breakout moment
MIAMI — Of all the surprising performances in Wednesday night’s 113-104 victory over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks — from Caleb Martin scoring a career-high 28 to Max Strus’ 16 fourth-quarter points — nothing was as unforeseen as KZ Okpala’s contribution.
After scoring 17 points in his previous 12 appearances and totaling 13 rebounds in those games, the 2019 second-round pick closed with 10 points and nine rebounds.
And even then, those numbers paled in comparison to his playing time of 32:05.
The comparison there: Entering Wednesday’s game, the 6-foot-8 forward not only had been limited to 71 minutes over the Heat’s first 25 games, but had been held out of five of the previous nine games and had not played more than 15 minutes in any previous appearance this season.
Ultimately the numbers stood secondary to the defensive impact, an energy infusion that became infectious.
“KZ’s special,” Strus said. “I don’t think he really knows how good he can be on the defensive end. But he really can guard one through five. He’s physical. He’s super strong on the ball. He can guard point guards. He can guard big dudes.”
Unlike the calls to close out lopsided games, this time Okpala played all 12 fourth-quarter minutes, in a game that the result was in the balance until the closing seconds.
“He was just everywhere,” Strus said. “I’m really happy for KZ and the effort he had.”
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker said it was a carryover from what goes unseen during the Heat’s private practice sessions.
“Man, KZ’s had practices like that, where he’s moved really good,” Tucker said. “But he’s a young guy. So some days he’s got it, some days he doesn’t. You never know what you’re going to get.
“We need him right now. We need him. He can play some four, five, the way we play. He can make plays in the pocket, shoot the ball well. So hopefully he can get it rolling.”
The opportunity was there, just as it was when he played 15 minutes in last week’s home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler sidelined.
In the loss to Cleveland, Okpala played more as a fill-in for Adebayo. Wednesday, the role was closer to Butler’s efforts as defensive closer.
Typically soft spoken, Okpala downplayed the performance.
“Just following Coach’s game plan, doing the things that the team needs of me. That’s what I came in and did,” he said during his televised postgame interview.
“They believe in me. Coaches believe in me. So I just have to come in and believe in myself, and I do wholeheartedly.”
Letting it fly
Not only were Kyle Lowry’s 21 shots Wednesday against the Bucks a season high, surpassing his previous Heat high of 18, but they were 12 more than during Monday night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I think that’s one of his genius qualities, as an NBA basketball player and savant, that he knows what’s needed for a team at that particular time,” coach Erik Spoelstra said in the wake of Lowry’s 22-point, 13-assist performance against the Bucks.
“And he’s done that throughout the course of his career. And he’s been able to be a leading man, a second guy, or just a set-up guy.
“And while we were healthy, he was just a set-up guy and really helped our game offensively. But we need the All-Star either leading guy or second guy, however you want to define it. But we need that right now, until we get the rest of the guys healthy. He understands that. He also know that at certain points it means just making the right play.”
Ailing opponent
Former Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. became the latest Chicago Bull to be placed in the NBA’s health-and-safety protocols, joining teammates DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Javonte Green and Matt Thomas, with the Bulls next scheduled to play the Heat on Saturday night at FTX Arena.
The NBA policy has been that as long as a team has the minimum-required eight available players, games remain scheduled. The Heat twice had to play under those circumstances last season, in a pair of road losses to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jones in 2019-20 became the first Heat player to publicly acknowledge he had tested positive for coronavirus.