Heat extend win streak to 3 in uneven Oladipo debut
The theme was about Erik Spoelstra’s new toys, with Victor Oladipo making his Miami Heat debut and Nemanja Bjelica his first appearance as a member of the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
But Thursday night’s 116-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors was crafted by the staples that have provided the fuel during the team’s best of times. A Jimmy Butler scoring surge. Offense by committee. And a coordinated defensive approach to prevent the opposition’s best player from singlehandedly producing victory.
So with Butler scoring 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter, with the support of 21 points from Duncan Robinson, 20 from Tyler Herro, 19 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Trevor Ariza and Andre Iguodala, the Heat extended their winning streak to three.
“When you’re trying to play for the big prize, you better have a lot of guys that can be threats and put some points on the board,” Spoelstra said. “You also have to have guys that are willing to share.” Oladipo took notice.
“It speaks for itself,” he said. “Before I got here, the way the box score is, they’ve had similar games just like that. It just shows what kind of character we have, what kind of players we have on this roster. And I’m definitely glad to be a part of it.”
While Stephen Curry scored 36 for the Warriors, he never was allowed to produce a trademark game-changing scoring blitz, with a series of too-late 3-pointers closing out his effort, with the Warriors finishing with 27 turnovers.
“We’re getting back to our multiple-effort plays,” Butler said of the harassment of the Warriors.
Five Degrees of Heat from Thursday’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat went up 11 in the third quarter, their largest advantage to that stage, before taking an 86-81 lead into the fourth.
The Heat further created some breathing room with an Iguodala 3-pointer that was followed by a technical foul on Warriors coach Steve Kerr. That Robinson free throw gave the Heat a 94-86 lead.
The Heat then pushed to a 13-point lead from there, on a Bjelica 3-pointer.
Curry followed late with a pair of 3-pointers and three free throws while fouled on another to trim the deficit to 115-109 with 49.5 seconds to go, but then hoisted an air ball on his next 3-point attempt.
“What a nightmare,” Spoelstra said of Curry. “I mean, what do you do?”
Or as Kerr said, “Steph was amazing down the stretch. Always competes, always fights and I thought he was tremendous.”
2. No-trade cause: Robinson and Herro continued their sizzle since surviving last week’s NBA trading deadline.
Robinson again did his damage both from the 3-point line and off the dribble, closing 4 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Herro again produced a game-changing scoring burst, this time with 14 points in the second quarter.
“I think we all felt a rhythm,” Herro said of his second quarter. “We were able to get some stops, get out there and run.”
Adebayo said sometimes it’s simple with Robinson and Herro.
“They were in shooting slumps, and now they’re out of them,” Adebayo said.
3. From the start: Spoelstra wasted no time getting Oladipo into the mix, starting him alongside Butler, Adebayo, Robinson and Ariza.
Oladipo then took the initial defensive assignment on Curry.
But foul trouble then took its toll. He closed with six points on 2-of-8 shooting, with five assists, three rebounds and five fouls.
“It feels like I was gone two months, to get out there,” Oladipo said. “My teammates were really helpful tonight.
“I think the biggest thing is just getting acclimated.”
Teammates know there is more to come.
“He’s going to find his groove,” Butler said. “That is going to come with time.”
4. Bjelica moves in: Spoelstra further jumbled his mix by playing Bjelica as his reserve big man, ahead of Precious Achiuwa, as he also did in the second half of Wednesday night’s victory in Indiana.
Bjelica, in his third Heat appearance since being acquired at last the trading deadline, offered a floor-spacing presence and sizeable screen setter, finishing with eight points in 17 minutes.
“He’s a highly decorated, experienced veteran,” Spoelstra said of the 32-year-old Serb. “We feel really comfortable with him.”
Achiuwa did not play.
5. Cautious approach: Spoelstra said holding Goran Dragic out was purely precautionary on the second night of the back-to-back, with the 34-year-old point guard having missed four games with back spasms before returning for the two prior to Thursday.
“He did not suffer a setback,” Spoelstra said. “This necessarily won’t be the definitive plan moving forward. But based on how he felt, and trying to scale him back up, we think this is the best decision for tonight. He’ll be available Saturday if everything moves forward in the right direction.”
The Heat next play the visiting Cavaliers on Saturday night.