Statement is delivered
Butler, Herro, Leonard apply pressure, stop road bleeding
ORLANDO — In the wake of recent road woes, the Miami Heat turned things insideout in Saturday night’s 102-89 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center. The pressure at the rim was constant. The assault from distance efficient. “I think we all saw this as a statement game,” forward Jimmy Butler said of moving to 2-1 in the season series with the in-state rival.
With Butler thriving in attack mode, Meyers Leonard and Bam Adebayo loading up on rebounds, and Tyler Herro draining 3-pointers, the Heat made it two victories over the Magic in a week and improved to 33-15.
“We’re trying to get to another level the road,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Butler closed with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, 8 of 9 from the line.
Leonard put together his second doubledouble as a member of the Heat, with 18 points and 14 rebounds, with Adebayo adding 14 rebounds of his own on a quiet fourpoint night.
Then there was Herro, who closed 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, on the way to 23 points, part of the Heat’s 15-of-33 3-point efficiency.
“That’s the strength of our roster,” Spoelstra said of getting it done both inside and outside.
The Heat used to a 10-2 run at the end of the second quarter to move to a 57-49 halftime lead, limiting Orlando to two points over the final 3:20 of the period.
There then was a push to a 13-point lead in the third quarter before the Heat went into the fourth up 76-67.
Five degrees of Heat game: from on
Saturday’s
1. In his space: Butler offered a measured performance, particularly in terms of where he found his shot, opening 5 of 6, with all five conversions in the paint.
From there, he moved to paint.
That left him with 12 points at halftime and 19 heading into the fourth quarter.
“He understood the importance of this game,” Spoelstra said. “He set the tone. He came out with incredible intensity.”
About the only forced Butler outside attempt was a wayward 3-point attempt just before the 24-second buzzer late in the fourth quarter. of in the
2. Nunn returns: After missing three games with a sore Achilles, Kendrick Nunn was back in the starting lineup, with Herro returning to a reserve role.
Spoelstra said he appreciated the rookie guard taking a prudent approach with the injury.
“He trusts the whole staff and the whole process of when his ankle, Achilles wasn’t feeling right to make sure that he felt normal again,” Spoelstra said. “He has put in a lot of work behind the scenes. We’ve missed him, certainly. Thankfully, he hasn’t been out for an extended period of time.”
Nunn closed 2 of 5 for six points minutes.
“It was good to have him back out there,” Spoelstra said. in 16
3. Herro steps back: That allowed Herro to step back into his comfort zone with the second unit, allowing for with the ball.
Like Butler, Herro had intermission.
Spoelstra said Herro went to school during the Heat’s three-day break that preceded Saturday, including video study.
“That’s when you know someone talent,” Spoelstra said.
With Nunn back and Herro back with the second unit, it had Dion Waiters out of the mix after three consecutive appearances, his only appearances of his suspensionfilled season. more 12 of his points at improvisation the has
4. Seeking his: Why, yes, that was a triple pump fake by Leonard before draining a third-quarter 3-pointer and then a driving finger roll in the fourth.
It added up to Leonard’s eighth doubledigit scoring performance of the season.
“It was just a night when the finding my energy,” Leonard said.
The rebound total was a season high for Leonard, eclipsing his 13 on Dec. 20 against the New York Knicks.
His season scoring high remains against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 3.
“Everyone in this locker room wants Meyers to be aggressive,” Spoelstra said. ball was 21,
5. Road test: Saturday opened a stretch of 7 of 8 on the road for the Heat.
“We have not shown a great consistency on the road, like the majority of the teams in the league right now, for whatever reason that may be,” Spoelstra said.
The Heat entered 2-5 in seven road games.
Among the upcoming road tests are games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz. their previous