Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are not only considered a potential trade destination for Victor Oladipo ahead of the March 25 deadline, they could also be a long-term fit for the guard. 

"I don't think it's any secret in the league Victor has a desire to play in Miami," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective (41:00). "He'd like to go there in free agency. They're going to have cap space, so that may happen."

Windhorst referred to Oladipo as a "high-level rental," who could be traded for a second time this season after being dealt from the Indiana Pacers to the Houston Rockets in January. The Heat, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks were listed as potential options in the coming weeks.

The two-time All-Star has played well since joining Houston, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

It is still unlikely to be a long-term home for Oladipo, especially after he reportedly turned down a two-year max extension worth $45.2 million, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Rockets are also in the midst of a 12-game losing streak to fall to 11-22 on the season, likely forcing a full rebuild in the offseason.

The Heat are trending in the opposite direction, winning six straight games entering Tuesday to get to 17-17 and a current playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

After reaching the NBA finals last season, the squad already has the talent for a deep postseason run, but adding another two-way weapon like Oladipo could make this group even more dangerous.

Windhorst noted the Heat could acquire the guard for the stretch run of this season, but they could also wait for free agency and sign the 28-year-old without giving up any young talent. The 28-year-old's reported interest in Miami gives the organization some options for building the roster going forward.

The NBA is denying a rumor that Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler turned down an invitation to replace Kevin Durant in the All-Star Game.  

On Monday, Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports Network (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman) reported that Butler rejected the invite because "he wasn't going unless Bam [Adebayo] was going."

Feldman noted that an NBA spokesperson denied that report. 

Durant will remain the captain for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, but the Brooklyn Nets announced on Feb. 26 the two-time NBA Finals MVP's hamstring injury will keep him out through the All-Star break. 

Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis was added to the team as Durant's replacement. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics will take Durant's spot in the starting lineup. 

There were no shortage of options for the NBA to choose from when looking for an All-Star replacement. Adebayo has been the best player for the reigning Eastern Conference champions. He's averaging a career-high 19.5 points per game on 56.7 percent shooting. 

Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton is having the most efficient season of his career. The 29-year-old is shooting 50 percent overall, 43.4 percent from three-point range and 89.3 percent from the free-throw line. 

Trae Young has limitations on the defensive end, but the Atlanta Hawks guard's style of play would make a nice fit in an All-Star showcase that usually emphasizes offensive production. 

Sabonis averages a double-double with 21.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in 33 starts for the Pacers. The 24-year-old has improved as a shooter with a 35.2 three-point percentage. 

The Heat have caught fire now that they are healthy. They've won six straight games to climb into the No. 5 seed in the east standings. Butler averaged 21.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.9 steals in 14 games during the month of February. 

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler was ruled out of Sunday's matchup versus the Atlanta Hawks with a knee injury, the team announced.

The Heat noted Tyler Herro will be available to play against the Hawks after missing the last three games.

Butler was limited to begin the season because of a sprained ankle he suffered in the Heat's opener against the Orlando Magic. The five-time All-Star tried to play in the next game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas but was limited to 2-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra held Butler out of the lineup for the next two games. Their first game without him was a 144-97 blowout loss to the Bucks on Dec. 29. He later sat out 10 straight games from Jan. 12-Jan. 30 due to COVID-19 protocols.

The reigning Eastern Conference champions are off to an erratic start so far in 2020-21. Their offense ranks in the bottom 10 in rating and points per game (106.9).

It's still early enough that the Heat don't have to try rushing Butler back before he's completely healthy. No team in the Southeast Division has a winning record at this point in the season.

Spoelstra will likely turn to Maurice Harkless in his starting lineup until Butler can return. Herro and Duncan Robinson will run the offense for the time being.

Making the NBA Finals has its perks.

Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who made his first All-Star Game last season and helped lead his team to the Finals, is the newest member of the Jordan Brand family.

Jordan Brand announced a new sneaker and apparel contract with Adebayo on Friday.

"It hasn't sunk in yet, but it will soon, even just based on the simple fact that everybody knows who MJ is and what he's done for the game of basketball," Adebayo said in a statement through Jordan Brand. "Being able to say that I'm part of the Brand makes me sit back and really cherish everything. I'm looking forward to the experience."

Adebayo, 23, is one of the best young players in the league as a double-double threat every time he walks on the floor. He is versatile enough to guard multiple positions, protect the rim, attack off the bounce, work in pick-and-rolls and hit from mid-range.

This deal means the Jordan Brand once again has a notable presence on the Heat after it agreed to part ways with Jimmy Butler in January 2020. 

Butler originally signed with Jordan Brand when he was a member of the Chicago Bulls, which was the same team His Airness led to six championships during his legendary career.

The first half of the season has been a struggle for the Miami Heat, but the Eastern Conference champions still have a chance to make a run at the postseason after the All-Star break. 

Injuries have played a key role in Miami's 14-17 start to this point. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn have all missed at least seven games. Herro hasn't taken off as expected in his second season, averaging 17.1 points per game with a 34.4 three-point percentage. 

The biggest bright spot for the Heat has been Bam Adebayo. He's held the team afloat amid all the other roster issues around him. They also benefit from playing in the Southeast Division, which doesn't have one team with a winning record at this point. 

Looking ahead to the second half, here's the schedule that the Heat will face as they try to get back on track and key matchups that will help determine their status in the East. 

         

2020-21 Miami Heat Schedule Details

Second-Half Opener: vs. Orlando Magic on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +3600 (via FanDuel) (bet $100 to win $3,600)

Second-Half Schedule: NBA.com

         

Top Matchups

Charlotte Hornets (March 26 and May 2) 

Given the state of the Southeast Division, the Charlotte Hornets look like the favorites to win it. They sit in the top spot, despite their 14-16 record. 

Since the NBA expanded to its current six-division format prior to the 2004-05 season, no team has won a division with a losing record. The worst record among a division winner in an 82-game season was 44-38, which was done three times (2005-06 Denver Nuggets, 2006-07 Miami Heat, and 2017-18 Miami Heat). 

On paper, the Heat look like the most talented team in the division. Butler is a five-time All-Star and one of the best two-way players in the league. Herro averaged 16 points and shot 37.5 percent from three-point range in 21 playoff games last season as a rookie. 

Dragic is a veteran point guard who can score and set up his teammates to get easy buckets. Adebayo is a superstar and the face of Heat basketball at just 23 years old. 

Despite all of Miami's talent, the Hornets have been the most-buzzed-about team in the division thanks to LaMelo Ball. The rookie point guard became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he accomplished the feat in January. 

Gordon Hayward is having an All-Star caliber season for the Hornets with 21.9 points per game and 42.4 percent three-point shooting. 

In the only matchup between these two teams during the first half, Charlotte earned a 129-121 overtime victory on Feb. 1. 

           

New York Knicks (March 29)

The Heat and New York Knicks used to have one of the best rivalries in the NBA, but the Knicks have been irrelevant for most of the past two decades in the Eastern Conference playoff race. 

Head coach Tom Thibodeau currently has the Knicks in the seventh seed in the east, though their 15-17 record certainly leaves a lot to be desired. 

In some ways, the Knicks and Heat play very similar styles of basketball. Both are carried by excellent defenses that make up for some of their deficiencies on the offensive end. New York leads the league in fewest points allowed per game (103.8) and ranks third in defensive rating. 

As good as the Knicks defense is, they rank last in points scored per game (103.6) and are 23rd in rating. 

Miami's defensive rating to this point ranks eighth, three spots higher than it was in 2019-20, but the offense has fallen off a cliff. It ranks 25th in offensive rating and 26th in points per game.  

If the Knicks want to make the playoffs, they have to start beating fringe contenders like the Heat. Miami won both meetings between these two teams in the first half on Feb. 7 and 9. 

               

Second-Half Forecast

Even though the Heat made a run to the NBA Finals last season, there were some indications before the postseason that they may not be as good as it once seemed. 

After starting the 2019-20 campaign with a 32-14 record, they played their final 27 regular-season games under .500 (12-15). That trend has continued in 2020-21, though they can cite injuries as the main reason why. 

Now that the Heat are as close to healthy as they have been all season, the second half is when we should start to see what the real version of this team is going to be. They have an All-NBA player in Adebayo who can carry them, but Butler and Herro have to play like they did in the postseason to give them a chance to avoid the play-in tournament. 

Until the offense shows any semblance of consistency, though, it's hard to see how Miami can escape the bottom tier of East playoff teams. 

Record Prediction: 35-37

   

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A segment on Inside the NBA prompted Taylor Swift to grade Jimmy Butler's dancing ability Friday.

The Grammy-winning singer gave Butler a 13 out of 10 for his dance moves set to her song "22" in the Chicago Bulls locker room:

13/10 😺

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 19, 2021

Swift—whose lucky number is 13—is a more generous judge than Butler's former Bulls teammate Dwyane Wade, who gave out his customary score of nine.

Butler is known for his intense competitive spirit—whether he's playing basketball or selling coffee for $20 per cup inside the NBA bubble. The video showed a softer side of the five-time All-Star's personality as he vibed out to a pop song.

Perhaps Swift and Butler could team up during halftime of a future All-Star Game.

Jimmy Butler remains confident the Miami Heat will turn things around, but he also offered an honest and frank assessment of how they have started this season.

Speaking to ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Butler guaranteed the Heat will "turn it around" and make the playoffs despite their "terrible" performance thus far (starts at 0:23 mark):

Jimmy Butler doesn't mince words - we go 1-on-1 to discuss the Heat's uneven start to the season, Saturday night's Finals rematch with the Lakers and his budding acting career. Also: why he's just too mysterious for Jeopardy 😂 pic.twitter.com/4ttZYc230F

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 19, 2021

Later in the interview, Butler told Nichols that you can "book it" about the Heat being in the postseason (starts at 5:38 mark). 

It's hard to figure out which version of the Heat is the real one. After reaching the NBA Finals last season, expectations were high for the Heat coming into 2020-21. Things haven't gone as planned thus far because of poor performances, injuries to key players and absences related to the league's COVID-19 protocols. 

The Heat are currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 12-17 record. Playing in the Southeast Division has kept them close to first place, as all five teams currently have losing records. The Charlotte Hornets lead the division with a 13-15 record.  

Since Feb. 3, 2020, when a win over the Philadelphia 76ers improved their record to 34-15, the Heat are 22-31 in their last 53 regular-season games. Their playoff run last season obviously hides a lot of those struggles, but they have been a sub-.500 team in the regular season for more than one calendar year. 

Butler and Goran Dragic have each missed 12 games thus far. Tyler Herro sat out seven consecutive games from Jan. 16-27 with a neck injury. Avery Bradley is currently out with a calf injury. 

Given how much trouble the Heat have had keeping their main lineup on the court at the same time, it's not a surprise they have been one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA thus far. The reigning Eastern Conference champions rank 25th in offensive rating and 27th in points per game (107.2).

As long as the Heat can keep Butler, Herro, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson on the court together and playing with chemistry, they certainly have the talent to be one of the best teams in the east. 

The Miami Heat are scorching hot.

With a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets on the road on Thursday, the Heat claimed their fourth consecutive victory, improving to 11-14 on the season. 

Jimmy Butler finally clinched a triple-double after nearing the line in each of Miami's last three outings. He had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who were also helped by a standout performance off the bench from Max Strus.

The Rockets (11-14), who have now lost their last four while playing without Christian Wood, were paced by 17 points each from Eric Gordon and John Wall, while DeMarcus Cousins tallied 16 points and 11 boards.

   

Notable Performers

• Jimmy Butler, Heat: 27 PTS, 10 REB, 10 AST
• Max Strus, Heat: 21 PTS 
• DeMarcus Cousins, Rockets: 16 PTS, 11 REB
• John Wall, Rockets: 17 PTS, 7 AST, 6 REB

   

Jimmy Butler Saves Banged-Up Heat

Goran Dragic and Avery Bradley were already on the Heat's injury report, but Tyler Herro was ruled out due to the league's health and safety protocols in a game-time decision.

The only thing this game is going to answer is what the Heat look like without Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and Avery Bradley.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 12, 2021

Kendrick Nunn stepped in to fill the hole, but that meant Thursday's game would come down largely to the contributions of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and Kelly Olynyk and Duncan Robinson would have to step up even more.

Kendrick Nunn never lacks for confidence. He's up to a team-high 12 shots. No one else with more than Butler's seven.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 12, 2021

Butler is a safe bet. In each of the Heat's three recent victories, he has flirted with a triple-double: 

• 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds against the Wizards
• 17 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists against the Knicks
• 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a Knicks rematch

After missing 10 games due to injury, Butler returned on Jan. 30, and the Heat have been revitalized. According to data from Cleaning the Glass, the Heat have a 4.3 net rating, good for 12th in the league, and have improved exponentially in defensive rating (from 23rd to fourth) since Jan. 28 (h/t Rob Mahoney of The Ringer). 

He dropped 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while going a perfect 7-of-7 from the line to lead all scorers in the first half, though the Heat trailed by six at the break. 

Nunn was the only other double-digit scorer for Miami, though Robinson ended the half with nine.

Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn break out a little razzle-dazzle in the 1st half! ✨🌠

Watch @MiamiHEAT 🏀:
📺: FOX Sports Sun 📱:https://t.co/4f9qU0imPK#HEATTwitter #NBA #MIAvsHOU pic.twitter.com/SykhluydED

— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) February 12, 2021

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1360034130847801344

The group held that pace into the second half—at the end of the night, Butler finally grabbed that triple-double, while Nunn finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.

A second-half surprise came in the form of first-year Heat player Max Strus, who appeared in just two games for Chicago last season. In 25 minutes off the bench, he tallied 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting form the field, going 5-of-8 from three.

Max Strus got UP on John Wall 😨 https://t.co/cfZSBciTMg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 12, 2021

Max Strus' shot chart (via @nbastats) is a masterful work of art. 11-of-11 in the restricted area with tonight's dunk, one long 2-pointer (a miss) and 19-of-48 now on 3s. pic.twitter.com/X5QsFtvH9j

— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) February 12, 2021

So what does a Heat team without Dragic, Bradley and Herro look like? It looks like Jimmy Butler, Kendrick Nunn and Max Strus. And against the Houston Rockets, that was enough. 

 

   

Rockets Can't Get Past Their Defensive Woes

After a disappointing 130-101 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans, head coach Stephen Silas acknowledged that the Rockets were having major issues on defense. 

It was evident from that box score, as they allowed 60 points in the paint and 18 second-chance opportunities in New Orleans. But that wasn't just a one-off.

The night before, the Charlotte Hornets hit 19 of their 41 shots from deep, with Houston posting a minus-12 rebounding margin. 

"If we're not committed to stopping people like we have been up until this point, it's going to be hard for us to win," he told reporters. 

On Thursday, it was a mixed bag. 

Offensively, the Rockets had three different scorers in double digits at the break, with DeMarcus Cousins leading the squad with 11 points while Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo each tallied 10. 

On defense, they kept pace with the Heat and improved their rebounding, with 23 boards to Miami's 27. They limited Miami to 20 points in the paint while forcing eight turnovers and limiting the group to 34.9 percent shooting from the field (18.2 percent from three). 

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1360048544888012800

But they couldn't hang on in the second half.

In the third quarter, they were outscored 28-10 in a performance that had glaring similarities to their final frame against the Pelicans, when they were limited to seven points.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1360050430840090624

By the end of the night, the Rockets allowed the Heat to shoot 43.0 percent from the field with 15 threes, with their collapse resulting in another loss. 

Part of the problem is the loss of Christian Wood at center, but he's out indefinitely, so the Rockets will need to find a solution quickly if they have any hope of righting the ship.

 

   

What's Next? 

This game marked the start of a seven-game road trip for the Heat, who are headed to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The Rockets will also hit the road, with an 8 p.m. Saturday tip against the New York Knicks. 

The Miami Heat announced guard Tyler Herro will miss Thursday's game against the Houston Rockets because of the league's health and safety protocols.

The 21-year-old missed time in mid-January due to neck spasms, but he is one of the most reliable players on the team. This season, he has averaged 17.0 points on 45.1 percent shooting (34.7 percent from three-point range) alongside 6.1 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game.

Herro is following up a standout rookie campaign, where he helped Miami reach the NBA Finals with an improved 44-29 regular-season record, and he averaged 16.0 points per game in the postseason.

The former Kentucky Wildcats star was limited in that first season, though, including five weeks on the sideline with a right ankle issue. 

With Herro sidelined and Goran Dragic day-to-day, Kendrick Nunn is likely to see increased time moving forward.