The Miami Heat played the first night of their back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls started the game with an 8-2 lead. Zach Lavine was also hot from downtown. However, Miami picked up their intensity and keep it going. The Bulls struggled to get around the Heat’s defense. Miami continued to play swarming defense until the end and closed the game in dominating fashion. With the win, Miami moves to 50-28 for the season. Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s win.
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Herro Gets Going
Tyler Herro usually provides an immediate spark when he steps on the floor. He either scores or finds an open teammate. His first three plays didn’t go that way. Patrick Williams blocked two of his shot attempts at the paint. Instead of letting that get to him, Herro remained aggressive. He ended up getting hot in the second half, particularly from three-point range. Credit to Herro for sticking with it and it paid off for him in the end. Herro finished the night with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Lowry Playoff Ready
If there’s anyone who’s ready for the playoffs, it’s Kyle Lowry. In the first couple possessions of the game, we saw Lowry look for his own shot. He kept attacking the pick-and-roll with pull-ups. As mentioned before, when Lowry is hitting those pull-up jumpers, it opens up the Heat’s offense. It also gives him more options to break down the opposing team’s defenses. He was able to find a couple of his teammates for open looks. While he’s been a great floor general with his passing, it’s his scoring that opens up a lot more possibilities. Lowry finished the night with 19 points and 10 assists.
Butler’s Shot Back?
Jimmy Butler‘s jumper looked pretty good on Saturday. Instead of the one-legged fadeaways, he was actually rising on his jump shots with two feet and it seems to be helping him out. It also helps that he’s spending more time at the power forward spot. When he’s playing at power forward, he’s surrounded by more shooters which give him more room to operate. He’s even attempting more three-pointers as well. Overall, his shots falling certainly improves his offense in a major way. Butler finished the night with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Dedmon Providing Solid Minutes
Last month, we saw a dip in Dewayne Dedmon‘s production. The activity and energy weren’t the same as it was at the beginning of the season. Was it because of the injuries or fatigued? Who knows? But Dedmon looked more like himself against the Bulls on Saturday night. With Bam Adebayo in early foul trouble, we got an extended look with Dedmon. He was active on the boards, setting good screens, and scoring well around the rim. Most importantly, he was moving well on both ends of the floor. This is going to be important come playoff time. Dedmon finished the night with 14 points and five rebounds.
Next up: The Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The game tips off at 7 pm eastern.
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