Butler, Love return to mix
MIAMI — Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love were back in the mix Friday night for the Miami Heat, with the team confirming the returns shortly before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Kaseya Center.
Butler missed Tuesday night’s loss to the Golden State Warriors due to illness, before returning to Thursday’s practice. The Warriors game was his 22nd absence of the season and third in the six games prior to Friday night, having missed two others with a bruised right foot.
Love was back after missing 14 games with a bruised right heel. Love was injured in the teams’ previous meeting, the Heat’s 106-96 Feb. 27 victory in Portland, when 247-pound Blazers center Deandre Ayton landed on him.
“With Kevin, it’s kind of easy. It’s not like rocket science,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of working Love back into the mix. “You’re talking about a highly decorated, multi-year All-Star who has embraced and accepted a role coming off the bench.”
The Heat, though, remained shorthanded.
Guard Tyler Herro missed his 17th consecutive game, now dealing with medial tendinitis in his right foot. Herro took a platelet-rich plasma injection two weeks ago, a treatment course likely to have him out at least one more week.
Missing his fifth consecutive game was guard Duncan Robinson, who had been starting in place of Herro. Robinson is dealing with left-facet syndrome in his back.
In addition, guard Josh Richardson is sidelined by season-ending shoulder surgery.
The Heat also have guard Alondes Williams, forward Cole Swider and center Orlando Robinson in the G League, with the Sioux Falls Skyforce contending for that Western Conference title.
The two-day break prior to Friday was the Heat’s last such break of the season. Friday began a run of 10 games over the final 17 days of the regular season, which ends April 14 for the Heat against the visiting Toronto Raptors.
As for attempting to reestablish cohesion with so many moving parts, Spoelstra said other concerns are more pressing.
“We’re not thinking about that right now,” Spoelstra said. “We’re thinking about whatever we need to do to build consistency to win games. We’re not thinking about the narrative of just wait till the playoffs.
“We have a lot of work to do. There’s only 10 games, but these games are really important. And each game will be an opportunity for us to get better. Yes, there’ll be some elements of trying to build a continuity, but more importantly than any of the continuity is consistency and sustainability to our identity.”
Adebayo’s thoughts
Amid the Heat’s rash of injuries, it made others take on greater responsibilities. That had center Bam Adebayo assessing the impact.
Adebayo said the shuffle allowed guard Terry Rozier to further show his possibilities, after being acquired in January from the Charlotte Hornets.
“He can make something out of nothing – clock winding down, getting doubled, whatever the case may be, he can make something out of nothing,” Adebayo said. “For us, we need guys like that down the stretch when we need a bucket.
“And then, obviously he can do the tangibles — catch-and-shoot, get us into offense, run things. So for us, he does so many things well, it just doesn’t do anything but help our team.”
Amid Love’s absence, it also meant an extended look at second-year big man Nikola Jovic, with Adebayo citing Jovic’s defensive growth.
“One,” Adebayo said, “having the opportunity to play. I feel like that gets you more comfortable than any practice rep. Being out there, actually going against guys, seeing that you can guard people. I feel like that makes a difference for his confidence.”
As for his own increased role, Adebayo said it is something he has had to roll with.
“I feel like it depends on the flow of the game,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to go get a tough bucket, sometimes you might get an easy layup. But for us and me, it’s creating an action, making something happen sometimes. Sometimes it’s a tough bucket, sometimes a guy is open. It’s just reading the game.”