Chalk this one as much as what might preface any recap of an NBA preseason recreation, “Indicative of nothing, . . . “
Because with out Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo, and with solely a nominal quantity of Kyle Lowry, it’s not as if there was going to be a lot in the best way of cohesion for the Miami Heat in Tuesday night time’s 121-111 exhibition loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at FTX Arena.
So, as a substitute, better focus was on the lineups and rotations Heat coach Erik Spoelstra rolled out, with 4 extra exhibitions to comply with earlier than the Oct. 19 season opener towards the Chicago Bulls.
Less than every week faraway from coaching camp within the Bahamas, the Heat for a part of the night time had the look of a group with a Caribbean hangover.
“Defensively we were not good tonight,” Spoelstra stated.
There had been, nonetheless, some redeeming Heat performances, together with 22 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists from Tyler Herro and 22 factors and 6 rebounds from Bam Adebayo, with neither hitting the 30-minute mark.
“We just needed to be better with our spacing,” Spoelstra stated.
Five Degrees of Heat from Tuesday’s exhibition towards the Timberwolves:
1. Something huge: With Butler given the night time off for relaxation, Spoelstra opened with twin huge males, with Omer Yurtseven beginning alongside Adebayo.
Caleb Martin, who has been projected because the potential beginning energy ahead, as a substitute opened at small ahead. Lowry and Herro began at guard.
It wasn’t precisely the last word big-man problem, with the Timberwolves giving each Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns the night time off.
Yurtseven was uneven on protection, together with a pair of fouls within the opening 4:58, with the Heat’s spacing largely cramped with Yurtseven and Adebayo on the courtroom collectively.
Spoelstra then went smaller halfway by way of the opening interval, with Max Strus getting into for Yurtseven, shifting Martin to energy ahead.
“We got to play through it,” Adebayo stated of the uneven minutes with Yurtseven. “It’s growing pains at this point.”
The spotlight of Yurtseven-Adebayo may need been a Yurtseven 3-pointer late within the second interval off an Adebayo help. Yurtseven closed with 11 factors, 9 rebounds, fouling out with 9:17 to play.
“They’re some good moments, some uneven moments,” Spoelstra stated of the massive lineup. “I think that was probably rotation-wide.”
While there had been give attention to elevated 3-point makes an attempt by Adebayo, he took just one amongst his 17 photographs, a profitable catch-and-shoot basket late within the third interval.
“The assertiveness is what we need,” Spoelstra stated.
2. Herro’s night time: After opening at capturing guard, Herro moved to level guard firstly of the second half, with Lowry’s night time ending after 16:18 of motion, with 4 factors, three rebounds and one help.
There was a short scare with 8:11 left within the third quarter, when Herro went down after knee-to-knee contact with the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels.
But after a timeout, Herro, who had limped to the bench, remained within the recreation, with McDaniels subbed out.
“It was a scare,” Herro stated. “But I told Spo I was good.”
3. Next up: The Heat finally moved late within the first quarter to a second unit of Dewayne Dedmon at middle, Haywood Highsmith at energy ahead, Strus at small ahead, Duncan Robinson at capturing guard and Marcus Garrett at level guard.
That alignment got here with Butler, Oladipo and Gabe Vincent not accessible. It left first-round decide Nikola Jovic out of the preliminary 10-man combine, not getting into till the waning minutes, because the Heat’s eighth reserve.
All the whereas, Butler watched from the bench sporting a cap, together with his training-camp braid extensions gone . . . for now.
4. Early warning: The Heat bench was given a sideline warning by referee Scott Foster — a part of a brand new rule — 55 seconds into the sport for standing throughout the course of play.
Under the stronger interpretation of bench decorum, the second warning is a technical foul, as is every further warning.
5. Waiting recreation: Despite Spoelstra stressing Oladipo being again up to the mark after years of knee and quadriceps points, the 30-year-old guard was held out Tuesday after additionally being one in all solely three gamers (Vincent and Udonis Haslem the others) to not see motion in Monday’s intrasquad scrimmage.
“He had a great camp and the workload was pretty significant,” Spoelstra stated. “So he’s been doing work the last two days behind the scenes. But we want to rest him a couple of days before he gets out there and competes.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com