The HEAT came through with some solid sequences here and there, but those moments were too few and far between in a 109-101 loss to the Celtics Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s get into some takeaways.
1. Dragić Breathes Fire In The Fourth
Although Goran Dragić didn’t shoot as well as he’s used to, he kept the pedal to the metal and got to the free-throw line often.
In fact, he led all players with 12 points in the fourth, including this steal and finish with contact late in the period:
That’s the Dragon for ya.
When it was all said and done, Dragić amassed a team-high 23 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the line, four assists, two rebounds and two steals.
2. Butler At It Again
Simply put, Jimmy Butler did his usual work offensively, as he punished Boston inside and got to the rack time and time again.
And on the flip side of the ball, the 30-year-old made some good reads and recorded a game-high three steals (tied with Chris Silva).
In particular, this swipe in the fourth really stood out:
Butler ended up with 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe, six rebounds and two assists, to along with his aforementioned three steals.
3. Bam Sharp Throughout
From the opening tip, Bam Adebayo did his thing in the pick-and-roll, remained ready for the catch inside and continued to show nice touch around the basket.
And even though that led to a team-high eight points in the third to keep Miami neck and neck with Boston, one of his more impressive plays came on the defensive end in the fourth.
Whoa.
Adebayo finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, a team-high 10 boards, one assist, one steal and that block above.
Game Note:
-Kyle Alexander (G League - Two-Way), Kendrick Nunn (Bilateral Achilles Soreness), KZ Okpala (G League - On Assignment) and Justise Winslow (Lower Back Bone Bruise) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-After a few days of practice, the HEAT will head out on a quick road trip to face the Magic on Saturday at 7PM. From there, Miami will return home to host the Sixers on Monday at 7:30PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.