This game could’ve ended just like the past two games in Los Angeles. As they did in Miami a week ago, the Utah Jazz made a late fourth-quarter comeback run to make things interesting. Utah scored 18 unanswered points late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead down to six. Miami’s offense became stagnant and there were too many isolation plays. But, in the end, the Miami Heat were able to seal the deal. With Jimmy Butler sidelined, Miami got contributions from many players in his absence. This is a huge win for Miami in what has been a rough road trip. The win gives Miami an 8-5 record for the season. Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s win over Utah.
Duncan Robinson Breaks Shooting Slump
This week, Robinson has been the most hated player on the team. The Heat shooting specialist has been struggling from downtown. He even received some criticism from fans about his contract. But Saturday, Robinson looked more like himself. He saw his first three-pointer go in early and that’s all he needed. Once that first one dropped, it led to a flurry of three-pointers after. The pull-up three-pointer he hit after a defensive stop showed the confidence was back. That’s the thing that’s been missing from Robinson. It was always a mental issue with Robinson. Hopefully, he’ll continue to pick it up from here. Robinson scored 22 points and shot 6-11 from beyond the arc.
Pull up 3 on the break 👌
Duncan has 3 treys so far in this first quarter. pic.twitter.com/0qF3yl0Oaf
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 13, 2021
P.J. Tucker Crashes the Boards
Bam Adebayo is the Heat’s leading rebounder on the team. However, Tucker led the way on Saturday. Tucker grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds on Saturday. Even though he’s undersized, Tucker always finds a way to crash the boards. It all starts with his high-level box-outs against taller players. Additionally, he provided scoring, which we normally don’t see from him. Tucker made a couple of three-pointers and hit a few floaters in the paint. Let’s not forget the playmaking he did in the half-court offense. Tucker did everything in the game. Even things he’s normally not tasked to do. Tucker finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Heat have a Different Roster Hole to Fill
The Heat’s lack of a backup point guard has been mentioned a lot this season. It’s been evident every time Kyle Lowry is out. Gabe Vincent‘s offensive struggles haven’t helped much. Still, there’s another roster hole that needs addressing, and that’s front-court depth. With Markieff Morris and Butler sidelined, the Heat have been using some of their guards to play minutes at the four. Clearly, it shows the Heat doesn’t trust KZ Okpala and Omer Yurtseven at this time. Udonis Haslem also cannot play extended minutes. In all, front-court depth may be the biggest issue on the roster now.
Next up: The Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The game tips off at 8 pm eastern time.
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