Jacari McRae | January 16th, 2020
Home sweet home. Coming off a disappointing three-game road trip, The Miami Heat bounced back with a win over the San Antonio Spurs. And they did it with a much-improved defense, particularly in the fourth quarter. Miami held the Spurs to 23 points on 36 percent shooting in the period. The win puts the Heat at 28-12 for the season.
Here are my takeaways from Wednesday’s victory over the Spurs.
Nunn’s Night
With Jimmy Butler struggling offensively, Kendrick Nunn stepped forward. The Heat rookie went 4-for-4 from the field to score 10 points in the first quarter. He did the same in the second quarter, finishing with a game-high 20 points going into halftime. Nunn shot 8-for-8 from the field in the first half.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NSHkN5wbP8&w=1164&h=655]
He was clutch in the end too. Nunn scored eight points in the fourth period to fend off the Spurs. He finished the night with 33 points.
Revenge Game
A few months ago, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich cut Bam Adebayo from Team USA. On Wednesday, Adebayo got his first shot at revenge. The Heat big man had another good all-around game finishing with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.
Bam has been playing like an All-star this season for the Heat. He entered Wednesday’s game averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for the season.
No Rotation Change
Despite entering Wednesday’s game on a two-game losing streak, the Heat stuck with the same rotation. The only change they made was playing Kelly Olynyk, who received minutes with guard Tyler Herro sidelined. The rest of the Heat’s rotation remained the same.
After being sidelined for the past four games, Olynyk only played nine minutes. Olynyk ended the night scoreless with three rebounds and three assists.
Next up: The Oklahoma City Thunder. Game tips off at 8pm ET.
For more coverage of all Miami sports teams, check out our friends at miamisportswave.com
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Main Credit Image: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-kendrick-nunn-became-heat-nba-star-undrafted-g-league-2019-11
