Saturday night featured a matchup between two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. Of course, this game wasn’t going to be easy for both teams. The Miami Heat were without one of their best scorers in Tyler Herro. It was a game the Heat had to get straight out of the mud. Even without Herro, the Heat were still able to defeat the Chicago Bulls in a close battle. Miami’s role players stepped up and played a huge role. With the win, Miami moves to 13-7 for the regular season. Here are my four takeaways from Saturday’s win over the Bulls.
No Herro No Problem
Before the game started, the news came out that Herro would be questionable to play. It wasn’t until midway through the first period that the team announced he was out. With Herro out, that meant others had to step up and they did and Gabe Vincent most certainly did. Vincent, who has been playing well, provided his usual defensive spark in the beginning. Most importantly, he was huge for Miami in the fourth quarter. Vincent scored 16 of his 20 points in the period. The three-pointers were falling and he continued to make plays on the defensive end. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and showing he’s able to contribute on both ends of the floor.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1464808239984427015
Aggressive Lowry
We all know Kyle Lowry is a good playmaker. There are even times where he would pass up his own scoring opportunities to find teammates. But without Herro, the scoring was needed. It seemed like Lowry got the memo early as he attacked the basket twice for two easy layups. His driving game was definitely up in this one. In the final period of the game, Lowry was looking for his own shot even more. He hit a couple of three-pointers to give Miami a comfortable lead with Jimmy Butler on the bench. This is the Lowry Miami would welcome more. Lowry ended the night with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1464809671227809798
The Strus is Loose
Butler was not the only Heat player looking forward to returning to Chicago. The trip to Chicago also provided Max Strus the opportunity to return to the city where he played college basketball at. The former DePaul University forward was given minutes in the absence of Herro. Strus made the most of his opportunity. The forward provided scoring relief off the bench. While the three-pointers weren’t falling as much, he still scored inside the arc. Strus finished the game with 13 points in 31 minutes of action.
Robinson’s Shot Attempts Increases
While Herro has been the team’s best scorer, he also has been their best three-point shooter. Without Herro, Miami was really going to need more three-pointers from Duncan Robinson. This wasn’t a breakout shooting night for Robinson. However, the field goal attempts were up. There was a point in the game where Robinson lead the team in field goal attempts. The interesting part was how he was scoring. In addition to the three-point shooting, Robinson was also scoring inside the paint. There were layups, back-cuts, and mid-range jumpers. It’s not something you’ll usually see from Robinson, who’s known for shooting threes. Robinson finished the night with 16 points.
Next up: The Denver Nuggets on Monday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm eastern time.
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