In what was a tightly-contested affair throughout, the HEAT used a big run in the fourth to eke out a 107-104 victory over the Jazz Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
1. Bam Gives His All Late
Although Bam Adebayo was relatively quiet through three quarters, he certainly flipped the script in the fourth.
Not only did he score eight points in the final period, but he also was everywhere defensively and helped Derrick Jones Jr. trap Donovan Mitchell at the top of the key.
Just take a look at this sequence that resulted in a three for Tyler Herro (more on the rookie later):
That’s the effort we’ve come to expect from Adebayo.
In all, the 22-year-old tallied 18 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, a team-high six assists, a team-high three steals and a team-high three blocks.
Talk about stuffing the stat sheet.
2. Herro Mixes It Up
From the moment Herro stepped onto the court, he was ready to rock.
After scoring eight points in the second quarter and coming through with multiple efforts defensively on this possession late in the period…
…Herro continued his onslaught in the fourth.
All told, he showed poise with the ball in his hands late and led all players with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the final quarter, including this nifty flip:
Shortly thereafter, the 19-year-old forced Mitchell into an air ball down the stretch:
Told you he was ready to rock.
When it was all said and done, Herro amassed 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a plus-seven rating.
3. Butler Strong Throughout
It wasn’t anything flashy, but Jimmy Butler did his usual damage off strong drives to the rim, tough mid-range jumpers and hard-nosed defense in man and zone.
Of course, he also hit two big free throws down the stretch to put Miami up 107-102 with 5.4 seconds left.
Butler finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the line, eight boards, two assists and two steals.
Other Takeaways:
-As mentioned previously, Jones Jr. wreaked havoc defensively against Mitchell in both man and zone looks.
Naturally, he also posterized Rudy Gobert late in the second quarter.
Whoa.
Jones Jr. ended up with eight points, six rebounds and a steal.
-From the opening tip, Meyers Leonard feasted inside and used his strength to grab a bunch of boards.
Perhaps his most explosive sequence came on this alley-oop jam courtesy of Butler late in the first quarter:
Leonard concluded the evening with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Game Notes:
-Justise Winslow (Lower Back Strain) was an active scratch.
-Daryl Macon (G League - Two-Way), KZ Okpala (G League - On Assignment) and Dion Waiters (Team Suspension) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-After the holidays, the HEAT will host the Pacers and Sixers in consecutive nights on Friday and Saturday. Tickets for each game can be found below: