Without their two best players, the Miami Heat were already at a disadvantage against the Indiana Pacers. Despite this, the Heat came prepared and determined to win. Miami played Indiana tough on the defensive end and moved the ball well on the offensive end. Whenever the Pacers made a run, the team pushed back. In the end, Miami came out on top. With the win, they move to 14-5 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Friday’s win.
Make sure to catch the previous ‘Heating Up’ from Thursday.
Lowry Leads the Way
Kyle Lowry was brought in to be the floor general. However, with two stars sidelined, Miami needed more scoring from its point guard. He certainly set the tone in the first half, scoring 20 points. Lowry was knocking down three-pointers and attacking the mismatches. With Lowry being aggressive for his own shots, it opened up his playmaking abilities even more. With Lowry being a threat from beyond the arc, the Pacers’ defenses started overplaying him. It certainly seems as if Lowry has been pacing himself throughout the season. But, Miami is going to need this going forward. Lowry ended the night with 26 points and nine assists.
All business tonight đź’Ľ
Kyle has 8 early points and is 3/3 from the floor. pic.twitter.com/kWroaRuHOu
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2021
Duncan Gets His Shot Back
Everyone knows Duncan Robinson has been struggling with his three-point shooting for a while now. It’s clearly not unusual because other great shooters have also experienced this. One thing about good shooters is they’ll find a way to break out of their slumps. And Duncan did on Friday night. There was nothing different about his routine this time around. The only change was that the shots actually went in. On his third triple of the night, Robinson let all of his frustration out. That was the moment Duncan felt his breakthrough. His confidence grew further from there. Robinson also did a great job of reading the defense. There were a couple of times were Robinson went to the basket. Robinson ended the night with 24 points.
Many different ways Duncan got his 24 points tonight: floaters, four 3s, putbacks and free throws. pic.twitter.com/4LNWq7wrCp
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 4, 2021
Tyler’s Usage Rate Increases
We all know Tyler Herro provides a spark with his scoring. He’s probably the best scorer on the team with his ability to score at all three levels. Without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami needs him to do more. The ball is in Herro’s hands more and the team looks at him to dictate the pace for them. The trust in the young guard is there. Miami has trusted him since his rookie year when he was playing crunch time minutes. But this time is different. Now they’re looking at him to control the offense and make the right decisions with the ball. Tyler ended the night with 18 points.
Yurtseven Minutes
Omer Yurtseven has spent most of his career minutes in garbage time. However, this time was different due to Miami being shorthanded. Early on, Yurtseven seemed very nervous and lost. He looked very much like a player trying to adjust to the game. Still, the Heat continued to show confidence in him and it paid off. Yurtseven was huge in Miami’s zone defense by altering shots. He also rolled to the basketball a couple of times as well. With Adebayo out, Yurtseven will likely receive more opportunities down the road. This opportunity will help his development down the line. Yurtseven finished the night with a career-high 12 points.
Next up: The Milwaukee Bucks. The game tips off at 8:00 pm EST tonight.
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