Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Robinson leads exhibition win over Kings
Bubble basketball proved familiar and comforting Wednesday night for the Miami Heat, even if it didn’t count.
Opening play at Disney World with a 104-98 victory in an exhibition scrimmage against the Sacramento Kings, the Heat saw Duncan Robinson pick up where he left off, got efficient minutes from Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic, and had Meyers Leonard back in action for the first time since early February.
“It was pretty close to what we had designed in terms of minutes and getting guys playing together,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
It was the first competitive setting for the Heat since the NBA’s March 11 shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. It came in the NBA’s “bubble” backdrop, in the absence of fans, at the Wide World of Sports complex.
The games won’t count for real until the Heat’s Aug. 1 resumption of the regular season, but it was another step forward in the NBA’s bid to complete the season in quarantine.
“It was a ton of fun,” Robinson said. “Obviously, we’ve been waiting for this moment for a while.”
Robinson led the Heat with 18 points in 21 minutes, shooting 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. Butler and Dragic each played only the first half. Butler closed with nine points, including 5 of 5 from the foul line, in 11 minutes, with three rebounds and two assists. Dragic scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in his 11 minutes, draining a pair of 3-pointers.
The Heat pushed their lead to 17 while the starters were in action, before the Kings got the better of the reserve play.
The Heat next play Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Utah Jazz, in the second of their three exhibition scrimmages.
Five degrees of Heat from Wednesday’s scrimmage:
1. Unique setting: The setting was like nothing prior during the Heat’s 32 seasons.
Players on the bench were socially distanced behind a barrier, in almost auditorium-like seating, each with attached personalized drink holders. Chairs then were brought to the court during timeouts for the five players in the game.
Because it was designated a Heat “home” game, the signage replicated Heat colors and branding, with plenty of red featured. Taped video of the AmericanAirlines Arena crowd was shown on video boards behind the baseline.
And while there was a neutral announcer, there were taped Mike Baiamonte announcements, including AmericanAirlines Arena’s “Dos Minutes” at the end of each period.
“It makes it feel a little bit like home,” Dragic said, “but it’s way different.”
2. With more to come:
The balance of the season will be played in such an atmosphere, although the NBA said the resumption of the regular season will feature additional presentation elements.
“I walked out on the court when we got here from the bus and it really is amazing, this setup and how far we’ve come just in several weeks,” Spoelstra said. “Two and a half
months ago, I don’t think people really thought that this was a reality and here we are now.”
The game was played with four 10-minute quarters. The final two exhibitions will be the standard 12-minute quarters.
3. Interim lineup: With Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn still in quarantine, the Heat opened with a lineup of Leonard, Butler, Robinson, Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr.
It was Leonard’s first game action since Feb. 3, having missed the final 16 games before the March 11 shutdown due to a severely sprained left ankle. The question becomes whether he was filling in for Adebayo or will again start alongside.
As for Dragic, he clearly stood as a place holder, having started only one game this season, on Nov. 27 in a loss in Houston.
With Jones, his role could come down to whether Spoelstra opts for a smaller lineup instead of the one that features Leonard.
Tyler Herro and Andre Iguodala then entered as the Heat’s first two substitutes, followed by a triple substitution of Kelly Olynyk, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill.
4. Short night: With Butler
and Dragic given the final two periods off, Herro started in place of Dragic in the second half, with Iguodala starting the second half in place of Butler.
It was an uneven night for Herro, who closed 5 of 14 from the field, including 0 for 7 on 3-pointers, forced to play more point guard than typical. Herro had missed 15 of the Heat’s final 16 games before the shutdown, due to ankle soreness.
Herro, though, hit two late baskets, coming around on what turned into a 15-point night.
Spoelstra extended his rotation to start the fourth quarter, with Gabe Vincent and Chris Silva entering.
The only available players not to see action were KZ Okpala, Kyle Alexander and Udonis Haslem.
5. Early gifts: Remember those baskets Butler sent teammates amid the quarantine months? Clearly a wise investment, at least initially Wednesday.
The Heat opened 7 of 8 on 3-pointers, with Robinson starting 4 of 5 from beyond the arc and Dragic 2 of 2. All seven of those 3-pointers were assisted.
Robinson accounted for 15 of the Heat’s first-quarter points, including an assist for a 3-pointer.