Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Shaky Heat falls in scrimmage
Despite Adebayo’s return, scrimmage finale is a lost cause
The Miami Heat got dressed down in their dress rehearsal Tuesday, as they completed their three-game exhibition scrimmage schedule at Disney World amid the NBA’s restart.
Despite getting their primary starting lineup back for the first time since early February, the Heat fell, 128-110, to the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wide World of Sports complex.
“We didn’t make anything difficult for them,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “We didn’t get back, we didn’t rebound, we turned the ball over. We did everything that we always say we’re not going to do. But now it gets real.”
Up next is the resumption opener Saturday 1 p.m. against the Denver Nuggets, the first of eight seeding games that will conclude the Heat’s regular season in advance of their playoff appearance.
Even with Bam Adebayo making his first scrimmage appearance in the closed setting at Disney in the absence of fans, the Heat lacked defensive continuity against a team that will enter the resumption uncertain of its playoff fate.
“I feel like I’m back,” Adebayo said. “I feel like to get back in the flow, it shouldn’t take that much longer.”
Adebayo closed with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 25 minutes in his return, checking out for good late in the third period after two weeks away from the team.
“He was pretty sharp,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The most important thing was getting those game minutes and working to get that second wind.”
Butler had 18 points and eight assists for the Heat in 23 minutes, shooting 9 of 10 from the line.
Presumptive Rookie of the Year Ja Morant sparked the Grizzlies with 22 points and 12 assists.
“We just weren’t able to get stops,” guard Duncan Robinson said. “So that’s definitely a concern. We have to work on our connection on defense.”
Five degrees of Heat from Tuesday’s exhibition scrimmage:
1. First five: The scrimmage got the Heat back to their most-used lineup for the first time since Feb. 3. That was the game when center Meyers Leonard was sidelined by the severe ankle sprain that kept him out through the NBA’s March 11 shutdown.
With Adebayo available for the first time, as the Heat closed out their three-game scrimmage schedule, it had Leonard starting alongside Adebayo, Butler, Robinson and Kendrick Nunn.
That lineup enters the resumption of play with a 28-10 record.
By contrast, no other Heat starting five has opened more than eight games this season. That was the starting five that had Derrick Jones Jr. opening in place of Leonard, going 6-2.
“The most important thing,” Spoelstra said, “is getting a full mix of players out there, together, in the game.”
2. Bam back: Adebayo opened the scoring with a floater in the lane off of one of Butler’s five firstquarter assists, after missing the first two scrimmages due to positive COVID-19 tests, adding a rebound and an assist within the first two minutes.
In some ways, he felt he was in a better place than the Heat’s defense.
“I feel like our biggest thing is we just have to communicate when we get fatigued,” he said. “I feel like that’s the only thing that’s stopping us.
“When we get fatigued, we stop talking and they start making a run.”
3. Rotation review: After a return to the primary starters, the Heat’s bench rotation began with Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder as first to enter in reserve, with Leonard and Nunn going out. Tyler Herro then entered for the first time a minute later.
Jones and Andre Iguodala followed, putting the Heat 10 deep before the end of the opening period.
Kelly Olynyk then entered at the start of the second period, as 11th man, promptly draining a 3-pointer on his first attempt.
The only Heat players not to see action were Udonis Haslem, twoway player Kyle Alexander and sidelined second-round pick KZ Okpala.
4. Crowder time: Crowder said going in that he was looking forward to playing the team that dealt him to the Heat in February.
Crowder promptly came out and converted a four-point play in the first period, with 10 point in his first 10 minutes, built on three 3-pointers.
He closed with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his 23 minutes.
5. Too loose: The Heat were uncharacteristically loose in several aspects, including getting beaten in defensive transition and committing turnovers. That had them down, 69-52, at halftime and, 106-84, going into the fourth.
On the positive side, the Heat’s first 21 baskets were assisted, a run that ended with a Butler putback dunk in the third period.
“We learned a lesson about going through the motions,” Butler said after the Heat closed with 18 turnovers, “and if it starts bad, it’s probably going to end in the same way.”