Jacari McRae| November 26th, 2019
Home sweet home! After the blowout loss on Saturday, the Miami Heat went back to their winning ways on Monday. Despite a competitive first half, Miami blew out the Charlotte Hornets 117-100. The win improves the Heat’s record to 12-4 for the season.
Here are my takeaways from the Heat’s victory over the Hornets.
Butler Sets the Tone
Normally, Jimmy Butler would try to get his teammates going early. However, on Monday night, Butler was noticeably assertive on the offensive end of the floor. Butler kept driving to the lane to keep Miami ahead of the Hornets. He had 10 points in the first quarter.
Butler finished the game with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting and also dished out seven assists.
KO’s Night
The last time the Heat played at the American Airlines Arena, Duncan Robinson was on a shooting clinic. This time around it was Kelly Olynyk who was a threat from beyond the arc, shooting 4 of 5 on threes. Olynyk was also a beast on the glass, finishing with a career-high 16 rebounds.
MILESTONE ALERT @KellyOlynyk was on in the 2nd quarter tonight, eclipsing 500 career 3-pointers with this barrage from Downtown. pic.twitter.com/lK0DHunsvX
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 26, 2019
Before the season started, I always felt Olynyk would start alongside Bam Adebayo. With Meyers Leonard being hesitant to shoot, the team may decide to replace him with Olynyk. But, we’ll see.
Winslow Update
Before the game started, coach Erik Spoelstra gave an update on the status of Justise Winslow. According to Spoelstra, if Winslow clears the concussion protocol, Winslow could practice with the team on Tuesday. Winslow has been sidelined for nine games with a concussion after colliding with Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap on November 5th.
Despite his shooting struggles, Winslow is one of the Heat’s best perimeter defenders and playmakers. Winslow has started in all of the five games he’s played so far. It’ll be interesting to see what changes, if any, the Heat makes once he returns.
Next up: HEAT at Rockets. Game tips off at 8PMET.
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