Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Adebayo, Zeller provide ‘big-time’ blocks to help secure win
PHILADELPHIA — When the Miami Heat needed their defense to hold on to a crucial road victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, their big men stepped up big time.
Starting center Bam Adebayo had a key block against a Joel Embiid pull-up jumper with 29.1 seconds left, helping Miami hold its 100-99 lead.
“I made a great play,” Adebayo said. “It’s good when you have shooting slumps like that or shooting struggles, and you keep fighting and you keep believing in yourself, and you somehow get in the moment where you make one of the biggest plays of the game. That’s what it’s about when you’re a two-way player.”
Adebayo got credit from multiple teammates for his big, lategame block. Both Max Strus and Gabe Vincent called Adebayo’s block “huge” for the team.
“Joel is a tough cover for anybody,” forward Jimmy Butler said. “So to block his shot, to attack him on the offensive end, you got to give it to him. MVP-type player. He’s been doing that for a very long time. To get some stops on that dude in crunch time, it’s big time.”
Backup center Cody Zeller, newly arrived following the All-Star break, had two blocks of his own, including a chase-down block of Embiid midway through the fourth quarter.
“It’s impressive, what Cody has done,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “After three games, you just already can see it, optically, and you can feel it. He fits. He complements our guys. He’s a hard-playing dude. He really competes. He lets it all out there and even just the diving, going after loose balls, the rebounding,
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the extra effort. It becomes inspiring.”
Oladipo getting back in rhythm
When the Heat were wrapping up their shootaround before Monday’s win against Philadelphia, guard Victor Oladipo was the last player on the court, taking practice shots.
The veteran returned from an ankle injury after the All-Star break, but in his first two games back, he had just two points in about 40 minutes of play. Oladipo had a -16 in Miami’s loss to Milwaukee and a -18 in its loss to Charlotte.
But he found his form on Monday night, scoring 11 points and notching two steals, two rebounds and two assists. He had a +4 in the key win.
Before the game, Oladipo said the key for him is to find his rhythm. He has suffered numerous injuries that have limited him to 125 games since the start of the 2018-19 season. This year, he has played in 29 games and averaged 10.4 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game.
“I know for me, it’s reps,” Oladipo said. “The last four years, I’ve played 70 games.
I’ve got to get my rhythm back, my balance back, everything. If you really think about it, this is my first year back from injury. Last year, I came back in March. That’s not a year.”
Vincent proves big
With point guard Kyle Lowry still out with knee soreness, the Heat need fourth-year guard Gabe Vincent to provide big contributions in his place.
On Monday, Vincent gave Miami a spark. After most of the team struggled from behind the arc in a loss to Charlotte on Saturday, Vincent showed that Miami’s game in Philadelphia would be different. He knocked down a three in the game’s opening minute, then hit another two minutes later.
“They found me and I made some shots,” Vincent said. “Anytime I got an open one, I’m definitely grateful and I’m glad my guys have faith in me and found me and I was able to make shots.”
Vincent finished the game with 14 points and three rebounds, hitting four of his eight 3-point attempts.
“Gabe was rock-solid. That’s been how he’s really been playing for a while, save for the last couple of games,” Spoelstra said. “He’s just been steady. He’s been able to morph into multiple different kinds of roles for our team. Sometimes off the bench, sometimes starting. Right now, he’s starting, and it’s important to get that continuity with that group. But guys really respect him as a competitor. He’s a two-way player. He really competes. And people are trying to take away a lot of things with Jimmy and Bam and Tyler. Gabe can be a recipient, just like Kevin, and you saw that tonight.”