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Heat

The Eastern Conference field is set, as the Boston Celtics are set to take on the top-seeded Miami Heat for the second time in three years.&nbsp;
This series will have everything you want. Superstar power (Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler) and star power (Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown).&nbsp;Former All-Stars that can still give you moments &mdash; hello Al Horford, Victor Oladipo and, if healthy, Kyle Lowry.
It also includes fearless role players who can win you a game. For Boston, that's primarily Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and Robert Williams III. Miami has the Sixth Man of the Year in Tyler Herro, an unrelenting PJ Tucker, as well as a stable of undrafted guards in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
On the sidelines, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has been pressing buttons as well as anyone since the turn of the calendar year. Erik Spoelstra has had a strong argument as the NBA's best coach for nearly half a decade. That battle should be a pleasure, especially on the defensive end.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m not a coach &mdash; I'm just a pun-loving basketball fan with a hankering for film breakdowns. But instead of a traditional series preview, I decided to go into the basketball trenches and devise game plans for both teams. The tone of this two-part series will be a little more informal, but it will still be informative (at least I hope).
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Without further ado, here is what to look for in the East Finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
Miami's Defensive Matchups
Gabe Vincent &mdash;&gt; Marcus Smart
Jimmy Butler &mdash;&gt; Jaylen Brown
PJ Tucker &mdash;&gt; Jayson Tatum
Max Strus &mdash;&gt; Grant Williams
Bam Adebayo &mdash;&gt; Al Horford
Boston's Defensive Matchups
Jayson Tatum &mdash;&gt; Gabe Vincent
Marcus Smart &mdash;&gt; Max Strus
Jaylen Brown &mdash;&gt; Jimmy Butler&nbsp;
Al Horford &mdash;&gt; PJ Tucker
Grant Williams &mdash;&gt; Bam Adebayo
We saw these matchups in the most recent outing (March 30). I'd say it's a pretty safe bet this holds to start the series.
Boston's cross-matching intrigues me more than the inverse. Tatum taking Vincent allows him to roam a bit &mdash; unless/until Vincent bombs away from three. Putting Smart on Strus is a great way to take advantage of his screen navigation while eliminating Miami's opening script on offense. The Heat tend to open things up with movement sets to get Strus going early.&nbsp;
Keep an eye on the Williams-Adebayo matchup. Grant has taken on Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo in consecutive rounds, and has done so with success. His blend of mobility and strength could bother Adebayo, and those same traits can turn any pick-and-roll involving Adebayo into a switch.
The Battleground: Paint Touches
At their cores, the Heat and Celtics are switchy groups. In fact, they were&nbsp;the&nbsp;switchiest groups in the NBA &mdash; the Celtics ranked first in on-ball switches per 100 possessions (28.8), while the Heat ranked second (28.7), per Second Spectrum. It will be their primary method of flattening out each other's offenses, hoping to bring the game down into the mud.
With neither team playing drop coverage that often &mdash; the Heat and Celtics ranked 26th and 25th in drop rate, respectively &mdash; it'll be interesting to see who can create openings downhill.&nbsp;
If there's a difference between the two, it's Miami's willingness to dial up the pressure. They'll bust out a full-court press. They're not afraid to trap, particularly if there's only one star on the court. The help is&nbsp;aggressive. That leads to a ton of three-point attempts &mdash; the Heat ranked dead last in three-point rate allowed &mdash; but eighth in opponent rim rate.&nbsp;
The Celtics&nbsp;can&nbsp;do that stuff, but generally don't have to thanks to their collective size and screen navigation up top. They effectively cut off the rim (No. 2 in opponent rim rate) and&nbsp;they're able to force opponents into more mid-range shots. Only the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards allowed a larger share of mid-range shots than the Celtics this season.
Can the Heat find enough cracks to get into the paint and generate good looks from there? Can the Celtics hit enough threes &mdash; because they will be there &mdash; to loosen things up inside? We shall see.
Celtics' Team Stats (and Boston's stats vs. Miami)&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 113.6 (108.6)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 57.8% (56.7%)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 60.9% (60.9%)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 13.9% (12.2%)</li>
<li>Pace: 97.26 (96.33)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 20.9 (23.3)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 81.6% (74.3%)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 37.1 (40.0)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 35.6% (35.8%)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 9.8 (9.0)</li>
</ul>
Celtics' Play Type Breakdown
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-15-at-7-13-51-pm_lg.png" alt="" width="1113" height="242" />
Heat's Team Stats (and Miami's stats vs. Boston)
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 113.0 (95.8)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 58.4% (51.0)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 64.4% (70.0%)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 14.9% (19.1%)</li>
<li>Pace: 96.53 (96.33)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 21.4 (18.0)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 80.8% (68.5%)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 35.8 (39.7)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 37.9% (32.8%)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 10.5 (9.3)</li>
</ul>
Heat's Play Type Breakdown&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2022-05-17-at-9-02-05-am_lg.png" alt="" width="1114" height="241" />
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: EARLY OFFENSE
Lowry's absence looms large for the Heat.&nbsp;
He was the catalyst for their elite transition attack. His touchdown outlet passes put pressure on opponents to get back immediately after possessions end. Early clock pull-up threes became a staple during his time in Toronto; much of that carried over in Miami. Lowry converted 48.0% of his transition threes, including a ridiculous 57.1% clip on pull-ups per Second Spectrum.
With him out for at least Game 1, I'd expect Miami to be even more selective with its pushing. Expect a heavy dose of early-clock dribble handoffs.
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The Celtics weren't a team that ran often either; they ranked 21st in transition frequency (14% of possessions), not too far behind the Heat's middling mark (14.5%) per Cleaning The Glass. The issue is they didn't come close to the Heat's efficiency when they did push. The Heat led the NBA in transition scoring (1.33 points per possession), while the Celtics were 26th (1.21 PPP).
Boston is more likely to feed one of its bigs early as part of the team's Delay series. In those, Horford (or Williams III) will receive the ball in the middle of the floor while the other Celtics screen for each other. This is a very pindown-heavy group.&nbsp;
The tell is when their center (Horford or Williams III) gets an early pass above the break and acts as a handoff hub. It can be as simple as a pair of pindowns &mdash; Tatum receiving one on a side, Brown getting one on the other &mdash; to stretch the defense thin.
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The Celtics can flow into Chicago action &mdash; a pindown into a handoff. It may be a single pindown from the wing to get one of the Jays an early shot or, if the three isn't there, to set up an empty-corner ball-screen.
It'll be important for the Heat to be locked in.
KEY QUESTIONS
1) Who will win the zone battle?
Not to rehash the top, but we know how both teams want to operate defensively. Switch just about any screen; keep the ball in front. Shade off of (perceived) non-shooters to help cut off driving lanes. Bring the game into the gutter.
Both teams have creation-plus-shooting combos that can bend things if they're clicking. The Celtics may be okay giving up mid-rangers, but that's typically where Butler wants to operate. The Heat may be okay trading rim attempts for threes, but how safe of a bet is that with Horford and Williams shooting a combined 21 of 47 (44.7%) on corner triples?
If either team catches a rhythm, the zone will be broken out.
(Quietly, the Heat weren't a good zone offense during the regular season [0.96 PPP, 19th] either.)
As beautiful as the Heat offense looks when they're screening and cutting all over the place, they have possessions where ill-timed cuts can make life easier for an opposing defense. That's exacerbated when teams go zone &mdash; you want to force a zone defender to choose between two players, so improper spacing allows the defense to muck things up without much work.
It's odd to watch the Heat go haywire in the middle of the floor. When a zone is run against their second unit, you feel the lack of playmaking with Dewayne Dedmon at the 5 in place of Adebayo. But with the starters, you sometimes get weird bouts of passiveness.&nbsp;
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That's a darn good counter to a 2-3 zone. Butler gets right into his comfort zone with minimal pressure and... kicks out of it? Huh?
On the flip side, this could be a real problem area for Boston though, a team that ranked 27th in zone offense (0.9 PPP) during the regular season per Synergy. And the Heat don't just&nbsp;go zone; they go to all kinds of zones.&nbsp;
A traditional 2-3, a 3-2, a 1-2-2. They'll go full-court press, then drop into a zone. There are exotic looks, and then there's the Miami Heat defense.
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Much like the Celtics had to quickly adapt to Milwaukee's physicality after their matchup with the Brooklyn Nets, there may be an adjustment period when the Heat throw out their zone. Per Second Spectrum, the Celtics have seen just five (5) zone possessions in the postseason. You might get that in the first six minutes of Game 1.
2) Who&nbsp;can&nbsp;beat drop coverage when they get it?
This can be somewhat of a Tatum question considering his struggles against the Bucks in Round 2. The numbers weren't great &mdash; the Celtics generated a shade under 0.9 PPP on trips where Tatum saw a drop &mdash; but the film was more key.
He'd often pass up more fruitful mid-range attempts, instead opting to string out ball-screens and isolate against a late switch. He's a good enough shot-maker to make that work, but it's a tough diet to live on. And against a team like Miami, I'm not sure how many pockets he can afford to pass up. I've written about his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-miami-heat-boston-celtics-eastern-conference-finals-playoffs-breakdown-preview-how-stop-defend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of a floater before</a>; per Synergy, he's converted just 2 of his 10 runners this postseason, and I'm not sure which number is more concerning.
But this is really a Heat question. Tyler Herro struggled against the Celtics when faced with drop coverage. Between Smart and Derrick White at the point of attack, Herro couldn't consistently shake free. And even when he did, Boston did a good job of providing help at the nail to at least make Herro uncomfortable.
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This is an obvious thing to say, but the Heat are going to need him to get going. Aside from (this version of) Butler, Herro's their best shot-creator in the half-court. He'll need to take pressure off Butler, and carry some of the load when he's heading the second unit.
Whenever Lowry is back, he'll need to channel the same aggression from the last meeting (23 points, 16 shot attempts, 12 threes) if the Celtics drop against him. Ditto for Vincent, whose jumper has quietly fallen off a cliff during the postseason.
3) Derrick White or Victor Oladipo?
At the risk of sounding reductive, these may be the true X-factors of the series.
Both players offer fiesty on-ball defense across multiple positions. Both can juice their offenses in the pick-and-roll, particularly with their downhill chops. And both will likely be ignored when they're stationed off the ball, adding a layer of difficulty for their teammates to generate efficient offense.&nbsp;
White hounded Herro when matched up against them, and found enough utility as a ball-mover for the Celtics to win his minutes +11 in 32 minutes during his lone outing vs. Miami).&nbsp;
Oladipo missed all of the regular-season meetings, but he'll likely see Boston's third-best defender when sharing the court with Miami's other creators. His rim pressure is valuable, but his three-point shooting (27.3% this postseason) can swing things.
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STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>Butler vs. Tatum is gonna be a freakin'&nbsp;battle&nbsp;in this series. Before either of these guys have an off night against an elite defense, let's commend them for the production they've shown in the playoffs so far. Studs. Superstars.&nbsp;</li>
<li>I touched on it some during the matchup section, but man do the Heat need an aggressive Bam Adebayo in this one. Horford and both Williams pose different issues than Daniel Theis did during the 2020 series. But, in theory, Adebayo should have a size, strength or quickness advantage against anybody he faces. He can't afford to short-circuit with the ball in his hands. His regular-season averages (14.0 points, 9.7 shot attempts) will not cut it.</li>
<li>This could be yet another Jaylen Brown series. He ripped the Heat during their three-game series (25/6/3, 47.8% from three on 7.7 attempts). And aside from a putrid Game 1 against the Bucks, he's been a metronome for Boston this postseason. If the Heat tilt too much attention to Tatum, Brown should have some cracks to attack.</li>
<li>With Williams III expected to proceed without a minutes restriction, I don't think Boston needs to trot Theis out there. Between Horford and the two Williams, they should have more than enough at the 5.</li>
<li>Speaking of 5s, I wonder how much of a leash Dedmon gets in this series. He hasn't given Miami much offensively &mdash; he's not nearly the same roll threat, and there's even been an uptick in illegal screens for him &mdash; but there's value in his rebounding. If this truly turns into a muck fest, extra possessions will be more valuable than usual.</li>
<li>On the bench guard front, let's see how much burn Payton Pritchard gets. He's arguably Boston's best (pull-up) shooter and zone-breaker. He's also going to have the largest target on his back defensively &mdash; especially if he's on the floor at the same time as Butler.</li>
<li>After an 18-perimeter-shot-attempt game from Williams &mdash; in a Game 7! &mdash; I wonder if the volume has gotten to the point where the scouting report officially changes with him. He's shot well from three all season long, but the volume was low enough for teams to feel comfortable helping off of him and daring him to beat them. Let's see if the Heat become the first team to really blink.</li>
<li>Sign me up for all of the defense in this series, man. This is what it's all about.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down what to look for in this year's Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Heat and Celtics.

NBA Scouting Report: What to look for in Heat-Celtics series

"Joel Embiid is so distracted, in my opinion, by this MVP thing... he's not there tonight."&nbsp;
That was the opening statement from analyst Charles Barkley during TNT's halftime show. At this point, the Miami Heat held a 56-44 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. Embiid had 6 points (on 6 shots) and a trio of twos: 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers.
Barkley pointed to Embiid's lack of aggression, and wondered if he was able to channel his alleged frustration.&nbsp;
"Ernie [Johnson], when you are mad about something, it can work both ways. It's working the wrong way for Joel Embiid tonight. He is so distracted... Derek Smith, Rick Mahorn, and Dan Marjerle, they told me, man, 'Dude, you're playing like&nbsp;crap.&nbsp;Get your head out your a** and play better.' Someone needs to tell [Embiid] that."
Strong words, strong take. However, it's a take that ignores a couple of things.&nbsp;
1) Embiid shouldn't be playing right now, and I'd wager he wouldn't be if his current set of injuries &mdash; a torn ligament in his thumb and an orbital fracture that's forced him to wear a hammer-proof mask, while also recovering from a freaking concussion &mdash; occured during the regular season. Though fans pretend otherwise, injury recovery isn't linear! Sometimes you feel great, other times you're in pain! Add in a hard bump he took during a rebound fight with Dewayne Dedmon, and, yeah, Embiid probably wasn't his best!
2) Aside from Embiid's physical state, he wasn't on the court using 2K's practice mode. There was a basketball team on the other side hoping to limit his effectiveness. They should&nbsp;probably&nbsp;be commended for doing that in Game 5.
Actually, let's focus on the second point for a moment.&nbsp;
Embiid finished Game 5 with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. His All-Star running mate, James Harden, racked up a modest 14-6-4 line while shooting 5 of 13 from the field. Normally a duo that lives at the free-throw line, they combined for 6 free throw attempts.
What on earth happened?
The big picture takeaway: the Heat chose a different way to defend Harden-Embiid ball screens.
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Embiid had set 597 picks for Harden since his Sixers debut, excluding Tuesday night's Game 5, per Second Spectrum. They generated a monstrous 1.18 points per possession (PPP) on direct plays; for reference, the Utah Jazz had the NBA's best offense with a slightly lower mark (1.16 PPP).
They're one of 18 duos with at least 300 picks under their belt in that time frame. Only two pairings &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-are-no-good-answers-for-the-chris-pauldeandre-ayton-duo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton</a> (456 picks, 1.29 PPP), Trae Young and Clint Capela (626, 1.21 PPP) &mdash; were more effective on direct hookups.
Teams have been searching for answers since the Sixers traded for the bearded fella. With two players as skilled, as crafty and as different (Embiid's a towering 7-footer, Harden a brick wall at 6-foot-5) as them, each scheme poses a different set of problems.
Sending two to the ball hasn't been fruitful. Harden's too good of a passer, and Embiid's too dominant as a scorer to feed him short-roll opportunities. Playing drop can be problematic if the screen navigation, gap defense and help defense aren't working in tandem.
Switching has been the simplest, erase-the-gaps solution for teams. It's the most frequent coverage the Sixers duo has seen. But that's feeding Harden a big, and Embiid a smaller guy. Despite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-james-hardenjoel-embiid-duo-needs-to-flip-the-switch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early concerns about Harden</a>, the Sixers are now scoring over a point per possession when their star tandem gets a switch, per Second Spectrum.
That was the primary method the Heat went with in Game 3 and 4. With a smaller body consistently placed on Embiid after a switch, the Heat had to work extra hard to make sure the Sixers couldn't exploit it. That meant fronting Embiid on the block. And with those fronts, the Heat had to send an extra defender to help on the catch.
It's hard to send two bodies to Embiid while restricting space for Harden drives. To do that while also staying attached to Tobias Harris and being in position to contain Tyrese Maxey, aaaaand keeping tabs on cut-master Danny Green, is a losing battle. You're asking your defense to be perfect at that point. The Heat are elite, but they aren't perfect.
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In Game 5, they decided to effectively kill the switch. The Harden-Embiid duo connected for 16 picks. The Heat only switched three of them; of those three switches, only one of them came within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.
PJ Tucker was tasked with ducking under screens against Harden, basically daring him to shoot from deep. With Tucker playing more conservatively, Bam Adebayo was able to stay attached to Embiid whenever he attempted to roll to the basket.
With this strategy, the Heat were able to turn things into more of a 2-on-2 affair. If Harden couldn't get downhill, the Heat didn't have to completely shift their defense. That means smaller or flat-out eliminated cracks for Harris or Maxey to attack.
Take this early possession in Game 5. The Sixers are looking to set up an empty-corner ball-screen for Harden and Embiid. If a switch is forced, the Heat would have to do some digging, figuratively and literally, to make the SIxers work for a good look. Instead, Tucker baits Harden into a pull-up by ducking under the screen, and still gets a good contest on the shot.
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The Heat will live with that.&nbsp;
Harden knocks down a three on the possession below, but look at the rest of the Heat's defense. More importantly, look at the other three Sixers. They're stationary. Without Harden putting pressure on the rim, there's no need for the Heat to sell out. Butler shows a body at the nail, but that's about it.
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The Heat will live with that.
One more example, this time from the fourth quarter.
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It's Victor Oladipo (heck of a series for him) and Adebayo working in tandem. Oladipo does a great job of reconnecting with Harden. Adebayo is dropping to take away the roll from Embiid. Butler is peeled in for help, but there's no pressing threat here. The Heat don't have to&nbsp;scramble.
There are counters to be made if you're the Sixers. On the possession above, Maxey could either lift to the wing, or get deeper in the corner to really stress Butler out as a help defender. Having one shooter on that side doesn't have the same effect if he's basically in line with Butler.
As my co-host <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr.</a> mentioned on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest episode of The Dunker Spot</a>, the Sixers can counter drop coverage by having Embiid flip his angle and rescreen if the initial pick doesn't work. They&nbsp;did&nbsp;try it early in the first quarter, and you can see the kind of help the Heat shows from there.
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Tucker does a great job of fighting with Embiid, and the possession ultimately peters out from there, but there's a path to making that work.
But it's going to be up to the Sixers to counter the Heat's counter. They have to put the Heat back in rotation like they did in Games 3 and 4.
If Philadelphia can't, everyone on that side will have something to be mad about.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the Heat's defense of Joel Embiid and James Harden in Game 5.

How the Heat dropped the Sixers in Game 5

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 120-85 on Tuesday night.
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an NBA-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs.
Joel Embiid scored 17 points for fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the final quarter.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday.
It was a tough night all the way around for the Sixers, especially for Embiid &mdash; their best player, already wearing a mask to protect a facial fracture and dealing with a significant thumb injury.
Embiid got shaken up in the first quarter when he tried to dive into some baseline seats while attempting to save a loose ball. He doubled over shortly afterward, grabbing at his back.
He remained in the game after that scare.
He also remained in the game after the next scare, which was much worse.
It came midway through the second quarter, when Miami&rsquo;s Dewayne Dedmon missed a shot and Embiid grabbed the rebound. Dedmon, flailing for the ball, made contact with it &mdash; and wound up pushing it back into Embiid&rsquo;s mask-covered face.
Embiid lost the ball and went down in pain, covering his face with both hands. Oladipo picked up the ball and scored to make it 42-31, but Embiid writhing was of much greater importance to the 76ers than giving up two points. Embiid remained down for several moments, before making his way back to the Philadelphia bench and getting tended to by doctors.
And now Philadelphia must beat the Heat in Games 6 and 7, with almost all the odds pointing to how difficult that task will be.
All-time in best-of-seven series, entering this round, teams that won Game 1 of a matchup ultimately prevail 75.6% of the time. Game 1 winners at home, 85% of the time. Teams that start a series with a 2-0 lead, 92.4% of the time. And teams that win Game 5 for a 3-2 series lead wind up advancing 82.2% of the time.
All those stats favor Miami, obviously.
Tyrese Maxey made a deep 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the third to pull Philadelphia within 81-66. Whatever hope remained for the 76ers in that moment was short-lived.
A jumper from Herro and then five straight points from Strus were the start of Miami&rsquo;s game-sealing flurry that opened the fourth. A three-point play from Adebayo pushed the lead to 25, at which point Embiid checked out with the outcome clearly no longer in question.
TIP-INS
76ers: None of Philadelphia&rsquo;s starters played in the final 8:18. ... Maxey, who has been great for the majority of this series, shot 2 for 10. ... Georges Niang was 0 for 5, all of those shots from 3-point range, reminiscent of his 0-for-7 stat line &mdash; all on 3s &mdash; in Game 1.
Heat: After shooting 14 for 65 from 3-point range in the two losses at Philadelphia (21.5%), the Heat shot 13 for 33 from deep on Tuesday (39.4%). ... Miami improved to 18-4 all-time in Game 5s at home. ... The Heat outrebounded Philadelphia 46-36. ... Miami is one of two teams unbeaten at home in these playoffs. Golden State is 5-0.
FANDUEL SAYS
Miami was a three-point favorite at tipoff. After the Heat won the first quarter 31-19, the line went to 7.5 points.
SILVER VISITS
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game, seated with Ahmad Rashad &mdash; whose ties to the league go back decades, primarily for his years as host and executive producer of &ldquo;NBA Inside Stuff.&rdquo; Also in the crowd: NBA champion Mike Miller of the Heat, and longtime baseball star, Miami native and Minnesota Timberwolves co-minority owner Alex Rodriguez.
UP NEXT
Game 6 is Thursday in Philadelphia.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat are one win away from the East Finals.

Heat roll past 76ers 120-85 in Game 5, take 3-2 series lead

PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; James Harden scored 31 points, Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 116-108 on Sunday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Heat won the first two games in Miami with Embiid out with a right orbital fracture and mild concussion. The 76ers won Games 3 and 4 at home with Embiid and his mask in the lineup.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami.
Embiid is ready. So is Harden. And if the Heat can&rsquo;t figure out those two, the next thing they face could be the offseason.
The Heat pecked away at the lead and got within five until Harden sank his fifth 3-pointer of the game with three minutes left. Harden crushed the Heat on catch-and-shoot 3s and hit one clutch shot after another in the fourth.
He at last played in the postseason like the three-time scoring champion the Sixers needed when they traded for him in February.
Harden drilled a step-back 3 for a 114-103 lead that sent the crowd into a frenzy &mdash; and the Sixers off to Miami with new life.
Jimmy Butler scored 40 points and nearly one-man willed the Heat to victory. The Heat missed 28 of 35 3-pointers.
Embiid worked out the Game 3 cobwebs and returned to the dominant form that earned him season-long &ldquo;MVP!&rdquo; chants from the Philly diehards. His first quarter was about as good as it gets for the center. He made 5 of 6 shots, including a 3-pointer, and scored 15 points to put the Sixers ahead. Worn out in Game 3 from days of inactivity because of the concussion, Embiid played all 12 minutes in the quarter.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s really weathering the storm and getting through stuff,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said before the game.
Harden took over the next quarter. After a scoreless first quarter, Harden scored 13 in the second. He missed his first four shots of the game until he buried a 3 and then got rolling. He scored a bucket in transition during a 15-2 run and then waved his arms toward the crowd, calling on the to get louder.
Philadelphia shot 64% from the floor in the half. But 10 turnovers &mdash; that Miami converted into 13 points &mdash; kept the Sixers from stretching the lead well into double digits. The Sixers made nine 3s in the half to Miami&rsquo;s four.
Butler kept the Heat in the game with six straight points. He hit a layup, was nailed in the face by Embiid &mdash; who was whistled for a flagrant, then helped his former teammate to his feet &mdash; and Butler made the free throw. Butler hit a 3 off the possession and the Heat pulled to 74-70.
Butler drew Embid&rsquo;s third foul with 1:37 left in the third and converted the three-point play that kept the Heat within four. Butler trolled Embiid on Instagram after the Sixers posted a picture of him in the mask and quoted a line from &ldquo;The Dark Knight Rises.&rdquo;
&rdquo;(Expletive) yo mask,&rdquo; Butler wrote.
Butler scored 17 points in the third, yet the Heat still trailed 89-85. The 76ers fans let him have it when Butler fired an airball in the fourth and Harden came right down and nailed a steptback 3 for a 97-85 lead.
TIP-INS
Heat: Dewayne Dedmon (illness) sat out Game 4. ... Lowry, who scored his first bucket of the series on a layup, went to the locker room in the first half with a balky hamstring. He missed four straight playoff games before Game 3 with a strained left hamstring.
76ers: Isaiah Joe (right ankle sprain) did not play.

James Harden's clutch shooting in Game 4 helped Philadelphia even their series against the Miami Heat, 2-2.

Harden, Embiid power 76ers past Heat, even series 2-2

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat topped the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jimmy Butler added 15 points for the top-seeded Heat, who got 10 from Gabe Vincent and P.J. Tucker.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, the MVP finalist who isn&rsquo;t even in Miami while recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion &mdash; injuries suffered in Philadelphia&rsquo;s first-round-clinching win at Toronto. He&rsquo;s not expected to play in Game 2.
And as would be expected, he was missed. Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which got 19 from Tyrese Maxey and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.
Miami came out as aggressive as could be, putting Tucker on Harden and having him guard him the entire 94 feet of the floor in a similar approach to what the Heat utilized against Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young in the first round series.
It worked &mdash; for a while. Miami led by as many as 12 in the opening quarter, then a 10-2 run fueled by eight points from Herro gave the Heat a 13-point edge at 37-24 to mark their biggest of the half. The margin was still 46-36 midway through the second after another Herro basket.
The rest of the half was all Philly.
Miami went 1 for 9 from the field over the final 6 minutes of the half, with four turnovers in there as well, and Philadelphia went on a 15-4 spurt. Harden&rsquo;s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left put the 76ers up 51-50, their first lead of the night and the score that they took into the locker room.
The 76ers scored the first four points of the second half, going up by five. That was as good as it got for the 76ers.
Adebayo took a bullet pass from Tucker for a dunk that put Miami up 62-61, and that would be the final lead change of the night. It was the start of a 10-0 run that built a cushion, and then an 13-2 run early in the fourth decided matters and pushed the Heat edge out to 98-77.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia fell to 6-9 without Embiid this season. ... DeAndre Jordan started in place of Embiid and had four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. ... Georges Niang was 0 for 7, all those shots from 3-point range.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) missed his third consecutive game. ... Backup center Dewayne Dedmon picked up three fouls in a 23-second span of the first quarter. He then had two more in a 1:46 span of the third, giving him five fouls in 4:14 of playing time.
CLANK
The teams combined to shoot 7 for 33 in the first half from 3-point range &mdash; 3 for 17 by the 76ers, 4 for 16 by the Heat.
ROBINSON SITS
Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who led Miami in games played for a third consecutive regular season, didn&rsquo;t appear in Game 1. It&rsquo;s the first time since April 2019 that he dressed but didn&rsquo;t play, ending a streak of 256 games including playoffs. He missed three games this season while on Miami&rsquo;s inactive list.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Heat topped the shorthanded Sixers.

Herro scores 25, Heat take Game 1 over 76ers 106-92

On paper, a matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat is a tantalizing one.&nbsp;
Plenty of star power with Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, and Bam Adebayo. Young guards (Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro) that can take the top off a defense if its shift too much attention elsewhere.
A pair of Hall-of-Fame coaches who've already shown off their defensive chops in this year's playoffs; the Heat's gameplan against Trae Young was superb, while the Sixers pressed plenty of buttons (zone, coverage alterations vs. Pascal Siakam) in their close-out win on Thursday. Expect a grind in this series.
But injuries -- bleep injuries, honestly -- are here to dampen the fun.&nbsp;
Embiid won't start the series. He's out indefinitely with a mild concussion and an orbital fracture suffered during the late stages of Thursday's matchup. While the Heat turned Young's water off for good earlier in the week, they did so without Butler (knee inflammation) and Kyle Lowry (hamstring). Butler should be back for the beginning of the series, but Lowry's status <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1520800327347458048?s=20&amp;t=35oLEYfpS1Nm_hNQDljqAw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is more problematic</a>. It'll be worth tracking their health moving forward.
At the risk of sounding like an annoying optimist, I'd argue that there's still plenty of intrigue left in this series. I still expect a hard-fought, in-the-mud battle. And that should ramp up when (if?) Embiid returns.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: TRANSITION + EARLY OFFENSE
This is the "selective running" battle if I've ever seen it.&nbsp;
Per Cleaning The Glass, the Heat (14.5%) and Sixers (14.1%) ranked 19th and 20th in transition frequency, respectively. It makes sense once you look at the personnel for each side. Neither squad has an abundance of track stars.
On the Sixers' side, Maxey drives the bulk of it. He generated 1.34 points per possession (PPP) in transition during the regular season, one of the best marks in the NBA, per InStat tracking. That number rose slightly against the Heat (1.35 PPP), largely due to the fact that there's no physical match for Maxey's speed on the roster.
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Embiid can cause some problems in transition himself. He can do the classic big man thing: grab the board, hit the guard, then high-tail it down the middle of the floor for a deep seal. Or, since he's turned himself into a terrifying grab-and-go threat, he also can take matters into his own hands.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Sixers look to bump up their pace in this series. Losing their MVP will necessitate it to a degree. Embiid led the NBA with 72 post-ups within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, and the Sixers scored well over 1.3 PPP on those trips via Second Spectrum. Nikola Jokic (50) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (38) were the only guys that came close in terms of volume.
That would mean more Maxey early in the clock, but it would especially mean more Harden. Early drag screens to get downhill or force a mismatch has been his MO, and they'll need him to force the issue a little bit more.
I'd wager DeAndre Jordan gets the non-Embiid starts. We can quibble about that, but he does have chemistry with Harden as an early drag screener.&nbsp;
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Jordan isn't nearly the scorer that Embiid is (duh), but he does provide a little more juice as a vertical threat. His ability to slip will be important against Miami's switching.&nbsp;
Miami didn't run often, but they did so efficiently. The Heat were the NBA's most efficient transition team during the regular season, generating 133.4 points per 100 transition plays, per Cleaning The Glass.
What the Heat lack in pure speed, they make up for in processing speed. Neither Lowry nor Butler can beat Maxey in a foot race, but their well-timed outlet passes can appromixate the threat. Add in a willingness to pull from deep, and you have a pretty annoying team to keep tabs on when they decide to push.
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On a similar note, just about everyone is allowed to bring the ball up the floor. Adebayo is a freakish grab-and-go threat in his own right. You'll see PJ Tucker bring it up after misses. This allows the Heat to flow into their array of handoffs early in the clock. Only two teams -- the Sixers and Pelicans -- ran early-clock handoffs at a higher rate than the Heat during the regular season.
You have to match up quickly or run the risk of giving up open triples.
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Lowry pushes early, doesn't have a gap, then kicks it to Dewayne Dedmon. Embiid's deep in a drop, so Duncan Robinson sprints into a handoff. That suddenness is something the Sixers will have to be ready for.
Transition play is going to be an important battleground for this series. Both teams ran selectively, were efficient when they did run, and... quietly gave up a ton of points on the other end. The similarities are pretty wild.
Their transition frequency marks -- the percentage of possessions that started with a transition play -- were nearly identical (15.6% for Miami, 15.4% for Philadelphia). The Heat ranked 21st in PPP allowed after missed shots (1.203), and the Sixers ranked 20th (1.202).
The Heat faced the largest share of transition possessions following a miss (30.9%), which is a point in favor of Philadelphia until you realize they aren't far behind in that, either (29.7%, 25th).&nbsp;
Speed has consistently given the Heat issues. The Sixers are at a similar deficit in terms of overall athleticism, and it doesn't help that they have, let's say, effort issues at times from their stars.
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: OUT OF BOUNDS
The Heat like to set up movement with their sideline plays. They went to Chicago action -- a pindown that flows into a dribble handoff --&nbsp; pretty frequently during the regular season meeting. This play is going to be a turnover, but you can see the openings Miami can create from this action.
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Beyond that, keep an eye on their post splits if there's plenty of time on the shot clock. Heck, sometimes they'll blend both together.
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The Sixers also went to Chicago action during the regular season series, though their goal was to get downhill more than it was to generate movement threes.&nbsp;
Other than that, there wasn't much creativity. It was an inbound to set up a high pick-and-roll or an inbound to the perimeter while they waited on Embiid to set up shop for a post-up.
I'm honestly curious about Maxey's usage after deadballs. Most of Philadephia's more intricate looks came while Seth Curry was on the roster. I liked this one from the first meeting, an Iverson cut from Curry that flowed into an empty corner ball screen with Embiid.
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I'd like to see the Sixers tap into that kind of stuff with Maxey. If they can give him head starts, good things should follow.
KEY QUESTIONS
1) Will the Heat use the Trae Young Gameplan for James Harden while Joel Embiid is out?
It would be easy to make that leap, right? The Heat stifled a One Man Band in Atlanta and will be facing another one in Philadelphia while Embiid is out. Throwing the same sink at Harden -- a revolving door of different match-ups while mixing in full-court pressure and traps -- seems logical.
But I'd be a little careful if I were Miami.&nbsp;
Part of what made their aggressive gameplan work was the lack of size from Young. Traps hit a little harder when you can't really see over/past them. The Heat did a great job of flustering Young if he tried to set up shop near the sidelines. Harden won't be bothered to the same degree.
The real reason I'd be worried about the traps in particular: the Sixers' other players have been humming this postseason.&nbsp;
Tobias Harris looked as decisive as ever in the first round. If he keeps that rolling, I'd be worried about feeding him a steady dose of catch-and-shoot or catch-and-go opportunities.&nbsp;
The real kicker is Maxey, who, again, has a level of speed the Heat typically struggle to defend. Maxey averaged 21.3 points against the Heat this year on absurd efficiency (67% from two, 40.9% from three on 5.5 attempts).
He deserves your full attention. Sagging off to help elsewhere is an invitation for Maxey to bomb away, and sloppy closeouts will lead to interior buckets more often than not.
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With respect to the Hawks, the Sixers aren't them. Philadelphia has non-stars that can shoot and&nbsp;threaten the paint in a way Atlanta couldn't.&nbsp;
If the Heat's lone matchup against Harden (as a Net) is any indication, there's a balance to be struck between letting him work on an island and completely selling out.&nbsp;
Butler got the bulk of the Harden assignment in that meeting. When Harden was able to draw favorable switches, the Heat were able to peel in to help elsewhere. Something to watch for: a Heat defender digging from the strong side corner, a gambit we saw plenty of in the Hawks series.
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2) Can the Heat stars beat the gap?
If you're ready for round 387 of the "What does this team look like in the half-court?" question, this section is for you!
We just saw Butler rip the Hawks to shreds with a mix of hard-nosed drives, push shots, and where-did-this-come-from three-point shooting. We also saw Adebayo average 12.4 points while shooting 52.4% on twos, which was a significant dip below his regular season mark (56.2%).
Neither guy had much success against the Sixers. Butler averaged 18.7 points while shooting 36.6% from the field. Haters can have fun with the remove-the-free-throws figure if they have extra time on their hands.
(Haters always have extra time on their hands.)
Adebayo was slightly better (14 points on 50% shooting), but he took four total free throws in his two showings against Philly.
And when working in tandem, the Heat generated under 0.43 PPP on trips featuring a Butler-Adebayo pick-and-roll. I don't think I need to explain how bad that is.&nbsp;
With Embiid missing some time, there should be a little more freedom to attack the paint. If I'm Philly, I'd still be comfortable playing that ball screen straight up or even switching it.
Harris mostly did a good job of bodying up Pascal Siakam in round one, and he has the upper body strength to absorb body blows from Butler or Adebayo. Jordan should at least make either guy shoot over the top, even if he isn't (close to) the rim protector he once was.
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One wrinkle we may see: the Heat having someone screen for Adebayo before he sets one for Butler. Forcing Jordan (or Embiid, when healthy) to navigate a screen before settling into coverage could create an opening for Butler to attack.
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3) How will the Heat dole out the perimeter assignments?
This only matters to an extent, since the Heat will likely switch a ton of screens, anyway. But I am curious about this one.&nbsp;
A popular move for the Heat this season has been to place PJ Tucker on a primary ball-handler, which would turn any pick-and-roll with that ball handler and their big into a switch. Tucker on Maxey sounds wild out loud, but it's really a way for the Heat to flatten a Maxey-Embiid ball screen.
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If no screen comes, I'd be worried about Maxey blasting by Tucker off the bounce. Harden may be a more "natural" matchup for Tucker under this line of thinking, but that leads into a Butler-or-Lowry (when healthy) question.&nbsp;
Do you want Butler trying to track Maxey considering his offensive workload on the other end? Does Lowry have a chance against him at this stage of his career, especially coming off a hamstring injury?&nbsp;
I might go unconventional: Lowry on Matisse Thybulle, Tucker on Maxey, Butler on Harris, and Max Strus on Harden.
Miami can use Strus as their innings eater. Give Lowry the free safety role since he's better as a roamer (and charge taker) than an on-ball stopper at this stage. Butler can bang with Harris on post-ups, and he should still have a little leeway to fly around (and dare Harris to continue his streak of decisiveness in the process).
STRAY THOUGHTS
<ul>
<li>I'm curious to see how much zone coverage we get in this series. The Sixers flustered the Raptors a bit during their Game 6 win, if you want the most recent example. We also saw it sprinkled in against the Heat during the regular season series. The sample is small -- 20 possessions, per Second Spectrum -- but the Heat only mustered a 65 offensive rating against the zone. The Sixers had much more success against Miami's zone (1.15 PPP on 61 possessions), though Embiid's presence will definitely be missed.</li>
<li>Lost in Miami's dominant series win over the Hawks: Tyler Herro didn't have a good showing. The scoring wasn't there (12.8 points, 39.1% from the field), and the defense was, well... let's not talk about the defense. He should see more drop coverage in this series, so the opportunity to bounce back is there. But he'll also be one of Harden's primary targets when they share the floor.&nbsp;</li>
<li>On a related note: boy, will this be a feast-or-famine series for Duncan Robinson. His movement shooting will be needed against the Sixers, provided they're in drop. But he'll also 1.) have to cash in those shots, and 2.) stay out of foul trouble on the other end.</li>
<li>On that note, this could be a prime opportunity for Victor Oladipo to carve out more of a role for the Heat. He doesn't present the defensive limitations that Herro or Robinson do, and his ability to get to the rim could be useful.&nbsp;</li>
<li>This keeps nagging at me, so I'll toss it here: what if the Sixers just go small while Embiid's out? The Maxey-Harden-Harris trio with Georges Niang and Danny Green has played two (2) possesions together this season, for example. Why not test it out in spurts?</li>
<li>Please keep Paul Reed as part of the rotation. If you aren't going to go full small-ball, Reed certainly needs to get playing time.</li>
<li>The Twitter barbs between these two fanbases are going to be ... whew. Godspeed, everyone.</li>
</ul>
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Nekias Duncan previews the second-round match-up between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.

NBA playoff primer: What you should look out for in Heat-Sixers

CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; The Miami Heat appear to be back on steady ground after stumbling through a season-high four straight losses. Their grip on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is tightening, too.
Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro added 19 apiece and the first-place Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 127-109 on Saturday night.
Bam Adebayo scored 16 as Miami increased its lead over second-place Milwaukee to 1 1/2 games. The Heat moved within a win of securing home-court advantage in Round 1 of the postseason. And if they go 3-1 the rest of the way, they&rsquo;ll clinch the top seed in the East.
The way they were reeling a week ago, it's quite a turnaround. They bounced back from a loss to Brooklyn, then beat struggling Sacramento and surging Boston before having their way with Chicago.
&ldquo;I think we just had a little bit of a rut, which most teams go through at some point in the season,&rdquo; Lowry said. &ldquo;I think it was an opportunity for us to settle things down and communicate a little better.&rdquo;
The hot-shooting Heat (50-28) also reached the 50-win mark for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They might have two years ago, when they went 44-29 in the pandemic-shortened season and advanced to the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;It just shows you, even when you feel like you have a culture and you're doing things right, it's hard to win consistently in this league,&rdquo; coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;When you have to retool and rebuild new teams and rosters, it's tough. The league is really competitive.&rdquo;
HEAT HITTING
Miami built a nine-point halftime lead and broke it open in the third quarter. The Heat shot 53.7% in the game and made 17 of 34 3-pointers.
Butler, the former Bull, had seven rebounds and six assists. Herro had a strange stat line, matching a season high by nailing 6 of 7 3s, including three in the third. But he was 0 for 9 on 2-point attempts.
Dewayne Dedmon added 14 points, and the Heat won their third straight.
&ldquo;We have a long way to go to be at their level,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
ANOTHER ELITE LOSS
Zach LaVine led Chicago with 33 points. DeMar DeRozan finished with 26, though he shot 6 of 18, and the Bulls once again lost to an elite opponent. Chicago is a combined 2-19 against the top four teams in the East and West.
The sixth-place Bulls fell a half-game behind Toronto with four to play. Chicago, which led the conference for part of the season, is trying to stay in the top six and avoid the play-in round.
The Heat were ahead 66-57 at halftime after Lowry made three free throws in the closing seconds. Herro heated up in the third, scoring nine and hitting a 3 in the final minute to make it 98-79.
LOWRY&rsquo;S RETURN
The Heat play in Toronto on Sunday, and it&rsquo;ll mark Lowry&rsquo;s first time playing there since he joined Miami last summer. Lowry remains beloved in Toronto after helping the Raptors win the 2019 NBA title, and he said it&rsquo;ll be emotional. &ldquo;I'm nervous," he said. &ldquo;At the same time, I'm excited. It's gonna be a great moment. I told the guys I gave them a good game today, but I don't know what I'm gonna give them (Sunday). Emotionally, I might not be there. But it's gonna be a great day."
TIP-INS
Heat: The Heat have 10 50-win seasons. ... F Caleb Martin (bruised right calf), G/F Max Strus (bruised right shoulder) and G Gabe Vincent (bruised right big toe) were available after being listed as questionable.
Bulls: F Alex Caruso sat out part of the third quarter because of back spasms. &ldquo;It's nothing long term,&rdquo; Donovan said. ... G Lonzo Ball (left knee) will not start sprinting and cutting until early in the week. Donovan said the Bulls figure to have a better handle on his status on Tuesday or Wednesday. &ldquo;They're slowly building him up into that right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We're close to getting to that point from what they told me.&rdquo; Ball had surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus. ... Saturday marked the 15th anniversary of Donovan coaching Florida to an NCAA championship win over Ohio State and a title repeat.
UP NEXT
Heat: Visit Toronto on Sunday.
Bulls: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.
&nbsp;

Jimmy Butler scored 22 points, Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro added 19 apiece and the first-place Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 127-109.

Butler scores 22, Heat beat Bulls 127-109 for 50th win

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; An untimely losing streak has left the Miami Heat with some late-season competition for the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s top seed.
They took a step toward regaining some of the ground they lost recently against one of their chief challengers.
Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Kyle Lowry added 23 and the Miami Heat rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the Boston Celtics 106-98 on Wednesday night to stay atop the tight race for the conference&rsquo;s top seed.
Bam Adebayo finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds as Miami posted its second straight win since a season-worst four-game losing streak.
&ldquo;I think we did a good job of just communicating and being there for each other,&rdquo; Lowry said.
After briefly taking over the East&rsquo;s top spot, Boston has lost two in a row for the first time since late January.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jayson Tatum added 23 points and six assists.
Despite the loss, Tatum said in the long run it will help strengthen the mettle of this team.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good thing for us to learn from," Tatum said. &ldquo;The season is not decided today. We've still got games to play, playoffs. So, we'll be good.&rdquo;
The back-and-forth game had very much the intensity of a playoff matchup, featuring nine ties and 16 lead changes.
Trailing by four points entering the fourth, Miami outscored Boston 27-15 over the final 12 minutes with a level of execution that has been missing over the past few weeks.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve gotten a lot better of knowing where the ball has to go,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;Putting everybody in the position that they need to be in to be successful.&rdquo;
Miami led by just a point at the half, but opened an 11-point cushion at the start of the third quarter.
The Celtics answered, running off 16 straight points to nudge back in front and eventually carried a 83-79 edge into the fourth.
It grew to 90-85 with 7:40 remaining when Daniel Theis tipped in a lob from Derrick White through contact from Dewayne Dedmon, who fouled out on the play.
The Heat stayed composed and responded with 12-3 spurt to take a 98-93 lead on a short jumper by Butler.
Boston cut it 98-96 with less than three minutes left, but came up empty on three straight possessions.
Lowry broke the stalemate with a jumper. Brown then had his shot blocked on the the Celtics' next trip, and Lowry fed Butler for a fastbreak dunk to make it 102-96 with 1:43 left to play.
Boston had its own transition chance trailing 102-98 before Tatum was called for an offensive foul. The Celtics challenged the call, but it stood after review.
After another miss by Boston that was called out of bounds on Boston, Marcus Smart threw his hands up in frustration at the call and was ejected.
Miami was then able to close out the game on the free throw line.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said he likes the seeds his team is planting with the playoffs looming.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I like going through all these kind of games during the regular season,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;We had our share of challenges going down the stretch. But what I love about this group is we come in the next day, work at it and really try to get better. Those experiences make you stronger.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Heat: Caleb Martin sat out with a right calf bruise.
Celtics: Grant Williams took Robert Williams place in the starting lineup. ... Tatum was whistled for a technical foul late in the second quarter after complaining about a foul on Butler.
EARLY ACTION
Wednesday marked the first true glimpse at what the Celtics&rsquo; lineup and rotations will look like for the foreseeable future with center Robert Williams III sidelined following knee surgery.
Things started a little rocky for Boston with Miami jumping out to an early 8-3 lead, scoring some wide-open baskets as it capitalized on some early miscommunication by the Celtics on the defensive end.
Boston cleaned that up in the second quarter by limiting the Heat to one-shot possessions, forcing turnovers and converting them into points.
Miami took a 53-52 advantage into halftime, with both teams virtually mirroring each other on the stat sheet.
The Heat shot 46% from the field with 14 assists, knocking down eight of 19 from the 3-pont line. The Celtics shot 45% from the floor with 14 assists, connecting on eight of 21 of their shots from beyond the arc.
UP NEXT
Heat: Continue three-game road trip at Chicago on Saturday.
Celtics: Host Indiana on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jimmy Butler scored 24 points, Kyle Lowry added 23 and the Miami Heat rallied to hold off the Boston Celtics 106-98.

Jimmy Butler scores 24 to help Heat fend off Celtics 106-98

The Miami Heat have never been whole.
Jimmy Butler has missed chunks of time. Bam Adebayo has done the same. Kyle Lowry, the shiny new sign-and-trade toy from the summer, has been unavailable for large swaths of the season. Tyler Herro, the current frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year, has missed his fair share too.
If you haven't seen the stat already, I'll drop it here: the foursome of Butler/Adebayo/Lowry/Herro has only played <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612748&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=200768,202710,1628389,1629639" target="_blank" rel="noopener">76 minutes together</a> &mdash; roughtly a game-and-a-half &mdash; all season long.
There's been a constant feeling of "reinforcements on the way" while the Heat scrapped, slashed or clawed their way to the Eastern Conference's best record. To keep up with the theme, they welcomed another piece to the puzzle.
Victor Oladipo, a former All-Star (and a <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/victor-oladipo/1277942085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soulful singer to boot</a>) has been on the mend all season, recovering from surgery on his quad tendon. We haven't seen him since last May, where he gave the Heat four games of solid defense, inconsistent burst and shaky shooting. Let's just say his injury-ravaged, three-team campaign during the 2020-21 season was a whirlwind for everyone involved.
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Oladipo made his return on Monday night against the Houston Rockets, coincidentally his most recent team. He came off the bench, usurping Gabe Vincent* and Max Strus in the rotational pecking order (at least for one game.
(It's worth noting that Lowry made his return from a three-game absence as well, which likely made a bigger impact on Vincent's minutes than Oladipo did. Strus, though...)
Oladipo was on a 15-minute restriction, but that didn't stop him from making an impact. He scored 11 points (2 of 4 from two, 2 of 3 from deep, 1 of 2 from the free-throw line), dished out 4 assists and drew 2 (two) charges.&nbsp;
Let's dig into what he looked like on the floor.
DEFENSE
We'll start with the non-glamour end, mostly because that's where Oladipo looked most comfortable in my eyes.&nbsp;
He came out of the gate with an impact play. He checked in with 1:55 left in the first quarter, and drew a charge not even 20 seconds into his stint.&nbsp;
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On a per-possession basis, graded out as "pretty good" to me. Miami mostly switched with him on the floor &mdash; the Heat are&nbsp;the second-switchiest team in the NBA, per Second Spectrum &mdash; so we didn't get many reps of him navigating screens. But with that switching, he was put in position to defend in space pretty often.
Oladipo moved well laterally, only occasionally giving up inside leverage on drives. If there's a positive to draw, it's that his strength showed up in a pretty big way. He matched up with strength-based drivers, and either held firm and finished with contests, or, cut off those drives altogether.
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If I could also add: I really enjoyed watching Oladipo find himself off the ball.
He found himself in the weak-side corner often based on matchups, and you could see him peeling over early to show help. He was roaming a little bit, particularly in the second half.
This was my favorite possession from him. Just look at how he times his help and contests vertically. The shot was made, but this is the kind of weak-side rotation he was making at his peak with the Indiana Pacers.
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OFFENSE
Oladipo's usage is going to be interesting to track moving forward.
Paired with Herro (and Lowry) in terms of handlers, Oladipo was used in an off-ball role. He spaced in the weak-side corner, or kicked off (Pistol) actions with screens and handoffs.&nbsp;
The spatial awareness was on display early, lifting from the wing in conjunction with the ball-handler in order to put strain on his defender.
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We were able to get some transition flashes from him in the first half. On two attempts &mdash; a turnover and a missed/blocked shot &mdash; Oladipo attempted to go with battering-ram efforts to get to his spots.
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The second half is where Oladipo got more on-ball usage. His burst wasn't at 2018 levels &mdash; nor should that be the expectation &mdash; but he certainly didn't look overwhelmed. There was a decisiveness with his touches that led to shots for himself, assist opportunities or quick(er than you'd like) outlets to teammates if he didn't create an advantage. In other words: We didn't see much pounding it into the dirt.
Once he found himself at the tip of the spear, he was able to leverage his driving ability to feed others. A drive-and-shovel to Dewayne Dedmon led to a thunderous flush, while an early hit-ahead to Bam Adebayo on an empty corner pick-and-roll (with Adebayo slipping against a Houston switch) led to a drawn foul. Just peep the placement though.
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And then, there were the shot-creation flashes. You can tell his comfort grew in the second half, because his attacks became more audacious. It started with a straight-line drive (after a failed Spain pick-and-roll), and ended with Oladipo dipping into his snatchback bag. This is the kind of bonus creation the Heat want to add to their arsenal.
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There will be questions to answer moving forward. What does Oladipo look like against stiffer defensive attention? Can&nbsp;he&nbsp;defend tougher matchups? How long is the leash, considering Vincent has been pretty darn good this season?
We'll see what happens. For now, it's hard not to be impressed with what Oladipo was able to showcase off of this kind of absence.
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the season debut of Heat guard Victor Oladipo.

Examining Victor Oladipo's season debut with the Heat

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler had 23 and the Miami Heat overcame RJ Barrett's career-high 46 points to beat the New York Knicks 115-100 on Friday night.
Kyle Lowry added 19 points in the Heat's first game after the All-Star break after they were tied with Chicago for the best record in the Eastern Conference going into it. Bam Adebayo finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Miami started a little slowly in the resumption of its schedule, then shut down most of the Knicks beyond Barrett to run its road winning streak to a season-high six games.
Barrett made six 3-pointers and grabbed nine rebounds in his return from a four-game absence with a sprained left ankle, and his best game as a pro would have been even better if not for 14-for-22 shooting from the free throw line. Julius Randle had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but shot just 2 for 15.
The Knicks dropped their fourth straight and fell to 25-35. They hoped they were close to getting Derrick Rose back from ankle surgery, only to instead announce he had another procedure on the ankle Friday.
The Knicks jumped to a 10-0 lead while the Heat missed their first six shots, but Herro's 3-pointer cut it to 32-30 after one quarter. Miami turned a two-point deficit into a 48-38 lead with a 12-0 burst, went up by as much as 16 and settled for a 65-55 halftime lead after Barrett scored 17 in the second.
The Knicks were within one with 40 seconds left in the third, but Lowry made four free throws to make it 90-85 heading to the fourth. Miami then opened the quarter by outscoring the Knicks 11-5, with Herro getting two baskets, to go up by double digits again at 101-90.
New York came out of the break 12th in the East and potentially a team that will transition to focusing on its youth. It was decided this week that Kemba Walker, who had been the starting point guard, will shut down for the season and rest his troublesome knee.
TIP-INS
Heat: Butler was fined $25,000 by the NBA for failing to comply with media availability obligations during All-Star weekend and not complying with the resulting league investigation. ... Coach Erik Spoelstra said C Dewayne Dedmon practiced Thursday but his back tightened up, so he didn't play.
Knicks: Rookie Quentin Grimes left in the first quarter with right knee injury, the team saying it was a subluxation of the right patella. ,,, MSG broadcaster Walt &ldquo;Clyde&rdquo; Frazier got a big ovation in the first quarter when he was recognized as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award winner. The two-time champion with the Knicks will become the first player inducted in the Hall of Fame as a player and a broadcaster.
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DERRICK'S DELAY
Rose had recently begun practicing fully after he had surgery on his ankle in December. The procedure Friday was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-nba-sports-tom-thibodeau-kemba-walker-9323f8637cd4485c78e83dc91f0845fd">because of a skin infection</a>. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose was in discomfort but not pain, and there was no timetable for his return.
&ldquo;He actually went through practice pretty well,&rdquo; Thibodeau said. &ldquo;So, just one of those things.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Heat: Host San Antonio on Saturday.
Knicks: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Jimmy Butler had 23 and Miami overcame RJ Barrett's career-high 46 points to beat New York 115-100.

Heat overcome Barrett's career-best 46, beat Knicks 115-100

The Miami Heat are one of several teams that can legitimately win an NBA championship this season, full stop.
If you&rsquo;ve watched them at all through objective eyes, you&rsquo;d likely conclude that they&rsquo;re somewhere between fringe Eastern-Conference-championship contenders and potential NBA champions if certain things break right.
The Brooklyn Nets, with Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving, might have the most talented trio of the Eastern contenders, but they probably won&rsquo;t have enough time to establish their chemistry this season &mdash; even if Irving could play home games starting now. (Talent is cool, but talent and chemistry wins.)
The Philadelphia Sixers will have Joel Embiid and James Harden, but that will either really work or really won't. The Milwaukee Bucks have championship equity and the best combination of talent, chemistry and two-way basketball between Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, but have just been &hellip; weird.
The Boston Celtics have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown without an awesome build around them, but they have an indisputably better team today than this time last week (and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-celtics-are-coming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they've been excellent over the last month-and-a-half</a>). And the Chicago Bulls, if healthy by the spring, have one of the most balanced starting fives in the league, but have as many ifs as DeMar DeRozan&rsquo;s had points these last five games. (Okay, not quite.)
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Where that lands the Heat is simple &mdash; they can get to the NBA Finals, but like their many peers, will need plenty to break right in their favor for reasons that have grown increasingly evident in watching a healthier version of them in recent games. (Having Erik Spoelstra, arguably the best coach in the NBA, also helps.)
The Heat are, again, the workhorse team that could probably get to the highest level defensively among the teams we&rsquo;re discussing, but have questions relating to their late-game offense. That could ultimately decide their fate.
Jimmy Butler is an elite two-way player, and still one of the most underrated stars in the league in a culture that is increasingly highlight-driven &mdash; and Butler isn't known for his highlights. He&rsquo;s also engineering a Heat offense that really pops for most of the game, but grows stagnant toward the end of close encounters. It&rsquo;s like a regression to where the team was in the latter portion of Dwyane Wade&rsquo;s pre-retirement run with the Heat, as Ethan Skolnick noted on last night&rsquo;s <a href="https://fivereasons.podbean.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Five On The Floor podcast</a>.
Bam Adebayo would be garnering Defensive Player of the Year attention if not for a thumb injury that sidelined him for several weeks. His offensive aggression or lack thereof (less so as of late) is a never-ending talking point on Heat Twitter, largely because it impacts the team&rsquo;s championship aspirations in either direction. Tyler Herro is currently the team&rsquo;s best shot-creator other than Butler, and &hellip; well &hellip; as well as they do everything else, that component is what&rsquo;s holding them back from being slam-dunk championship contenders, according to some.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="dark">
I'm assuming this is the aggressive Bam Adebayo some are looking for. <a href="https://t.co/7ukBX5wceG">pic.twitter.com/7ukBX5wceG</a>
&mdash; Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1493758857159479300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Enter Victor Oladipo, who is progressing toward a return from surgery, and is practicing with the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce 5-on-5, giving the impression it won&rsquo;t be long until he makes his 2021-22 season debut. Klay Thompson returned <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-provide-klay-thompson-injury-update-after-g-league-stint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three weeks after his G League stint</a>, for what it&rsquo;s worth.
Oladipo is immediately walking into a high-pressure situation, and the Heat won&rsquo;t peg him as their savior, nor should they &mdash; but there will come a time when he&rsquo;ll need to be, for better or worse. We last saw Oladipo play way back on April 8, 2021, around 40 days before the start of the playoffs. What we saw of him last season is hard to gauge because he played 33 games with three separate teams in his first full season back from quad surgery (not including games in the bubble).
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The offensive creation wasn&rsquo;t at an All-Star level, but it was still there. Between stints with the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and four games with the Heat, Oladipo averaged about 20-5-5 and 1.4 steals per game on 41/33/75 shooting splits through 32.7 minutes per contest. The lion's share of minutes came from his stints with the Pacers and rebuilding Rockets, only logging four appearances with the Heat&nbsp;before being sidelined.
With the Heat, he saw 27.8 minutes per contest, averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per contest on just 37/24/67 shooting. Even though this is the definition of small sample-size theater, you still saw glimpses of how he could impact Miami on both ends.
The Miami Herald&rsquo;s Anthony Chiang reported earlier today that Udonis Haslem &ndash; <a href="https://twitter.com/AIR305/status/1488698167579262977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who guarded Oladipo in a viral clip earlier this month</a> &ndash; says he looks way better than last year. Usually, people would file that under bullsh*t, but you can call Haslem a liar to his face if you want. I won&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen enough to know he&rsquo;s definitely better than he was last year,&rdquo; <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article258423468.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Haslem told the Herald</a>. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t seen any limping. I haven&rsquo;t seen a lack of confidence. I haven&rsquo;t seen everything so I can&rsquo;t make a fair assessment. He looks pretty [good] about where he&rsquo;s headed.&rdquo;
Chiang noted that Oladipo &ldquo;has been doing more behind the scenes in recent weeks. He traveled with the Heat on recent trips to continue his workouts around the team and has been taking part in rigorous pregame two-on-two sessions with teammates.&rdquo;
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Now, so this doesn&rsquo;t go on forever, we&rsquo;ll use Miami&rsquo;s last two games as examples to show where Oladipo could help solve problems during some worrisome fourth quarters.
Against the Brooklyn Nets, the Heat led 89-68 at one point. The Nets, who were held to 18 points in the third, erupted for 35 in the fourth, coming within one possession of Miami, largely due to [redacted] erupting for 20 of his 29 points late.
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1:32 &ndash; Irving&rsquo;s first field goal of note came as a pull-up three at the top of the key with over eight minutes left. Anticipating a screen, Gabe Vincent was slow to contest, and Duncan Robinson was late to cover.
1:45 &ndash; He pulled another one. Vincent again drops too far, awarding enough space, and Robinson gets caught behind Patty Mills setting a screen on Vincent.
1:53 &ndash; Irving takes Vincent one-on-one, and help is late coming over. Vincent, a high-level on-the-ball defender, just gets beat. It happens.
2:03 &ndash; Robinson gets beat one-on-one, and because Butler and Adebayo are worried about each dunker spot being occupied, and PJ Tucker can&rsquo;t overcommit, otherwise Mills would be nekkid for three, Irving gets to the cup.
2:12 &ndash; He gets the angle around a Butler-Robinson double team, beats Robinson with his speed, gathers over Bam&rsquo;s arm, and floats it over Kyle Lowry. A lot of other 6-foot-3 guards probably don&rsquo;t make it to Lowry there. &nbsp;
2:23 &ndash; He gets a step on Tucker guarding him at the top of the key, and drills a mid-range fadeaway.
Is Oladipo the&nbsp;answer in this setting? That would be unfair so long removed from game action, but you can throw him on Irving here for a couple of different possessions to help give the Heat defense a shot in the arm. At his peak, Dipo was a soul-sangin&rsquo; All-Defensive guard, who should at least be a quality defender again, even if he won&rsquo;t reclaim all-world status soon (if ever).
Now, let's look at the fourth-quarter breakdown, symbolized by the Heat&rsquo;s loss to the Mavericks last night, in which Miami again squandered a double-digit lead.
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For this, it&rsquo;s simple: 40 second-half points typically won&rsquo;t get it done, especially when your opposition is wildin&rsquo; from three. This could be as simplistic as the Mavs shooting 18-for-41 from three (43.9%) to the Heat&rsquo;s 7-for-27 (25.9%). But Vincent, who played all 12 fourth-quarter minutes despite having one of his worst outings in recent weeks, probably had minutes last night that would&rsquo;ve gone to Oladipo or Tyler Herro who was out with an injury (along with Caleb Martin, Markieff Morris and Dewayne Dedmon). Vincent went 0-for-2 in the quarter, both from deep, and had two fouls. Outside of a rebound, he did nothing else offensively. The team in general reverted to a simplistic offense.
Vincent is the guy whom Oladipo will primarily compete with for minutes &mdash; last night notwithstanding, he&rsquo;s been quite a revelation this season considering that he didn&rsquo;t appear NBA-ready in the two seasons prior.
The path to Oladipo getting minutes is through being a competent shot-creator on offense, and an adequate point-of-attack defender on the other end. The high-end of this would have him finishing games, even over Herro, in a lineup of Lowry-Oladipo-Butler-Tucker-Adebayo &mdash; which is attainable, but unrealistic to expect right out the gate. It&rsquo;s, for now, a dream scenario.
If Dipo&rsquo;s great, it&rsquo;ll be a good problem to have for Miami, and it&rsquo;ll raise their floor, giving them someone who&rsquo;ll be a top-three shot-creator on the team. So, the Heat don&rsquo;t need Oladipo to contend, but it&rsquo;ll sure as hell make a lot of things easier &mdash; even as Spo will have to stay up late figuring out these rotations. It&rsquo;ll also help cover up some of the team's shortcomings otherwise, on both ends of the floor, and that could be Miami&rsquo;s missing ingredient.
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Bryan Fonseca looks at the impending return of Victor Oladipo and how he'll positively impact the Miami Heat.

Victor Oladipo is coming: How he can help raise the Heat’s ceiling

For the first time in their lives, twin brothers and NBA pros Caleb and Cody Martin are going to play against each other in a regular-season game. And while they're ecstatic for one another, they're both coming for bragging rights and the win this Saturday night in Charlotte.
"My brother [Caleb] is gonna be amped, but at the same time it's like, he approaches the game like he's playing me every game," Cody told BasketballNews.com over the phone.
Caleb is excited to return to Charlotte, back where his NBA career began and where he grew up.
"Getting to be back home and play where it all started will be fun," Caleb told BasketballNews.com. "To get play against all the others that were on my past team. There's always bragging rights... and getting to leave with the dub."
The Martins have been playing and practicing against one another their whole lives, even when they played on the same team. They've constantly driven each other and motivated each other.
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In fact, Caleb and Cody have always been together.
Whether it be basketball, fishing, grabbing a bite to eat or working at their local Walmart in Mocksville, North Carolina as cart pushers growing up, you'd find the pair together.
From Davie County High School, to a senior year at prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, two seasons at North Carolina State and transferring to the University of Nevada &mdash; together.&nbsp;
They played a significant part in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2017-18 run to the Sweet 16, the Wolf Pack's deepest run since 2004. Both made All-Mountain West Conference squads each season and were heavily decorated, with Cody winning MWC Defensive Player of the Year and Caleb winning MWC Player of the Year.
Graduation and the NBA Draft brought the reality of separation to the forefront.&nbsp;
Cody would hear his named called on draft night, with the Charlotte Hornets taking him with the 36th pick on June 20, 2019, while his brother didn't hear his name called. However, Caleb would later sign an Exhibit 10 with the Hornets a month after, eventually earning a converted two-way contract and ultimately upgrading to a standard multi-year deal. Both factored in heavily in the Hornets' rotation by the end of their rookie season after spending time in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm, further cementing themselves the following year.
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Cody Martin throws the lob to his twin brother Caleb Martin! <a href="https://t.co/ifR0UlbEcJ">pic.twitter.com/ifR0UlbEcJ</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1234203987349557250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2020</a></blockquote>

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But, in the 2021 offseason, Charlotte waived Caleb.
Caleb had prepared himself heading into the summer knowing it was a possibility, but mentioned it still caught him by surprise.
"It was just very eye-opening, in terms of just putting yourself in perspective to say, 'Alright well I haven't done enough, guys don't believe that you're an NBA player.' I think a lot of that was emphasized whenever I didn't get picked up off waivers," Caleb said.
He signed a two-way deal with the Miami Heat a month-and-a-half later, focused on proving himself and showing he belonged in the league.
"The Heat gave [Caleb] an opportunity and I don't think he's looked back since... his mindset, what he brings to them and the dynamic he brings to them, and just how hard he works. That's the culture there. So, I think he's fitting right in." Cody said.
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Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/Calebmartin14?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CalebMartin14</a> work on the defensive end 🤩<a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiHEAT</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HEATCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HEATCulture</a> <a href="https://t.co/FEoD7EgpSJ">pic.twitter.com/FEoD7EgpSJ</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallyHEAT/status/1488698974257221632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And fit right in Caleb has, securing a high-leverage spot in the rotation for a team that's tangoed with the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He's put together career-highs across the board with respect to production and efficiency; that includes a renewed focus on the defensive end, as he's boasting his highest ratings in Defensive-Estimated Plus-Minus &mdash; emphasized by crisp rotations and honed-in tenacity.
He's played a significant part in the surprising emergence of Miami's bench unit, comprised mainly of undrafted and two-way players. The fourth most-played lineup by the Heat this season per Cleaning the Glass is an all-bench group of Gabe Vincent, Tyler Herro, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-max-strus-on-heats-nextman-up-mentality-building-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Strus</a>, Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon. The group has been remarkably effective (plus-6.2 point differential), and played a key part in the Heat rallying back in the fourth quarter to take the Toronto Raptors to overtime in a recent game. (Editor's Note: It took three extra OTs to decide that contest, with the Raptors outlasting Miami 124-120.)
It's not often that a full, five-man bench lineup will play, let alone have a positive impact. Mostly coming from similar backgrounds (being undrafted) has factored into their ability to play together.
"I think a lot of that has to do with mentality man, the fact that we want each other to win so bad," Caleb said of the unit's success."
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Many will and have looked at Caleb and Cody side by side and struggled to tell the difference. Often on opposing broadcasts in prior years, there'd be <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1370186234136567809?s=20&amp;t=7BHfiwX4QfMC8J-mVhrTXg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confusion over which brother was which</a> when they were in game. But make no mistake: They're fraternal twins and will be the first to tell you.
"We've been trying to tell people, you know, we look the same, we do a lot of the same stuff, and we're together all the time, but our games are totally different. It's night and day." said Cody.
That's perhaps been the beauty of this season. Finally apart, each brother's game has blossomed, and as Cody mentioned, they're quite different. They bring a similar energy and hustle to the court that "might rub you the wrong way," as Cody made light of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTPGoEDSW7s&amp;ab_channel=TeamNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent event with Russell Westbrook</a> when Charlotte played the Los Angeles Lakers. (He'd <a href="https://youtu.be/iCRnz44TW2k" target="_blank" rel="noopener">block Westbrook's lay-up attempt</a> into the abyss about a minute later.)
Caleb has fashioned himself into a top-notch slasher, taking advantage of hard closeouts and attacking the rim with authority, where he converts at a high rate (70% per Cleaning the Glass) and has put opposing shot-blockers on notice.
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(Caleb's favorite dunk is the first one.)
Give him the baseline, and you may as well give him the "and-one."
Meanwhile, Cody has flashed his ball-handling and playmaking chops more than ever at the NBA level due to defenses respecting his shooting, providing him driving lanes he didn't routinely garner his first two seasons.
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Cody Martin?!?!?!? <a href="https://t.co/6nbpXXQR8y">pic.twitter.com/6nbpXXQR8y</a>
&mdash; Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSchindlerNBA/status/1468001762762231808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2021</a></blockquote>

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If you've watched closely their whole careers, that dynamic has been there between them throughout &mdash; Caleb often leading their teams in scoring and shooting at a high clip, with Cody facilitating and filling in the gaps.
"It's kind of like refreshing too, that (playing apart) allows him to be him and that allowed me to be me," Cody said.
Both brothers spoke on the oddity of being apart on the court, but off the court has been an entirely different transition.
"The house is way more quiet," said Cody, who had lived with Caleb during his two years in Charlotte. "The transition has been not as bad as I thought it was gonna be just in terms of like, how different it would be. Because you're so busy, and you're on the road all the time."
Caleb emphatically remarked how much he loved living with his brother, and that it was an awkward adjustment at first, but "it's been cool to get to just be yourself." It really hit him one of the first times he went to get food by himself.
Despite being the furthest apart in their lives, the brothers' relationship is as strong as ever. They FaceTime every night and play video games with each other constantly in their off time, especially Call of Duty.&nbsp;
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Do the Martins keep up with one another's play? Follow each other's stats and production?
"Oh yeah, man. Yeah every game, every game," promptly said Caleb, who was preparing to watch Cody and the Hornets take on the L.A. Clippers in a matinee before his flight out of Miami last Sunday.
Cody gloated over his Caleb's play and fit with the Heat.
"We're each other's biggest fan, we want to see each other do well," Cody said. "We talk to each other every night, we critique each other every night. And tell each other what we see, and basically just trying to help each other. Regardless [of] whether he was here or not here."
To no one's surprise, you can just tell that this is genuine. The pride they brim with when talking about one another's career breakouts was an emotion filled with warmth.
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Though Saturday will be the first non-exhibition game Caleb and Cody will play against one another (Caleb was inactive when Charlotte and Miami first played this season), things aren't as different as they might appear on the surface. The jerseys may not be the same, but their mentalities and energy remain resolute.
Maintaining significant roles on opposing teams with playoff aspirations, the fraternal nature of their twindom can finally be seen abroad by a demarcation in their playing styles. Being apart has allowed them to flourish as individuals, but all their time together helped them get here.
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Mark Schindler speaks with Caleb and Cody Martin about their first game against each other, their support for one another and more.

Growing apart together: Caleb and Cody Martin flourishing on their own

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Jimmy Butler broke LeBron James' record for triple-doubles in a Miami uniform, Duncan Robinson scored 25 points and the Heat held on late to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-107 on Sunday night.
Butler finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for Miami, his 10th regular-season triple-double for the Heat &mdash; one more than James had in his four Miami seasons.
Caleb Martin scored 15, Bam Adebayo scored 14 and Gabe Vincent had 11 for Miami, which wasted most of a 26-point first-half lead.
James carried the Lakers yet again, finishing with 33 points &mdash; his 17th consecutive game with at least 26 &mdash; and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook scored 24 for the Lakers, former Heat guard Avery Bradley added 15 and Carmelo Anthony scored 11.
The Heat were still without Kyle Lowry (personal matter) and Tyler Herro (health and safety protocols). It was the fourth consecutive missed game for Lowry, the third for Herro.
The Lakers were without Anthony Davis for a 17th consecutive game while he continues recovery from a sprained left knee ligament. Davis was listed as questionable for Sunday, raising the chance he could have finally returned, but the Lakers decided he needed at least a couple more days.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting closer ... but not quite there yet,&rdquo; Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
The loss sent the Lakers to 23-24 &mdash; the first time since James' rookie season that he's been on a team with a losing record this deep into a season.
Miami came out flying, opening a double-digit lead just 5:12 into the game, going up 32-14 on a 3-pointer by PJ Tucker with 3:36 left in the opening quarter and taking a 39-25 lead into the second after Max Strus beat the clock with a corner 3-pointer over James&rsquo; outstretched arm.
The Lakers trailed by as many as 26 in the first half, their biggest pre-halftime deficit of the season, before James flexed some muscle just before the break. He scored the Lakers&rsquo; last six points of the second quarter, posing after powering through a double-team for one of those baskets, and got Los Angeles within 69-52 by the break.
But Miami still had to dig deep in the final moments.
The Lakers got within five twice in the final 2:34 &mdash; and both times, the Heat answered with 3-pointers. Robinson got the first, Tucker got the second, but the Lakers kept coming back.
James grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 1:07 left to get the Lakers within 111-107, then got a stop on the next Heat possession &mdash; but Bradley fouled Tucker on a moving screen with 37.7 seconds remaining for a costly turnover. Talen Horton-Tucker had another turnover on an inbounds pass with the Lakers down four with 7 seconds left, and Miami would survive.
TIP-INS
Lakers: The Lakers got a three-night stay on their lone visit to Miami this season, arriving Friday night after playing in Orlando. They aren&rsquo;t scheduled to leave until Monday afternoon, flying then to New York for a Tuesday game against Brooklyn. ... James hadn&rsquo;t played at Miami since Dec. 13, 2019. He&rsquo;s 37 now; the last time he played at Miami, he was 34.
Heat: Butler, playing in his 709th game including playoffs, had 10 assists by halftime for the first time. ... It was the 472nd consecutive sellout crowd &mdash; not counting games where the pandemic kept sellout crowds from happening &mdash; in Miami, a streak now 25 games shy of matching Sacramento for fifth-longest in NBA history.
SPO BROS
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra studies film of James often at home. Not Lakers game film, however. Spoelstra and his wife Nikki have two young sons, and the boys are big fans of James&rsquo; movie &ldquo;Space Jam: A New Legacy.&rdquo; Said Spoelstra: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our entertainment a couple nights a week. We put on &lsquo;Space Jam.&rsquo; ... Our family enjoys the movie. I know our kids love it. He&rsquo;s creating great joy for the Spo bros in our household.&rdquo;
GIVE ME FIVE
Miami&rsquo;s Dewayne Dedmon had a rare five-point possession &mdash; scoring while being flagrantly fouled, getting one free throw from that, then getting another field goal on the continuation after the flagrant. He also helped the Lakers have a five-point trip, flagrantly fouling Carmelo Anthony, who made two free throws before Stanley Johnson hit a 3-pointer on the Lakers&rsquo; extended possession.
MAJOR TURNOVER
The last Lakers at Heat game was on April 8. The Lakers used nine players in that game; none of those nine are still with the Lakers. The Heat used 10 players in that game; of those, only Butler, Adebayo and Robinson played for Miami on Sunday.
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UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Heat: Host New York on Wednesday.

Jimmy Butler broke LeBron James' record for triple-doubles in a Miami uniform, and the Heat held on late to beat the Lakers 113-107.

Heat hold on to top Lakers, Butler sets Miami triple-double record

You never want to see &ldquo;Damn Lonzo&rdquo; trending.
But, as is consistent with the rest of the season, a seemingly major injury has afflicted one of the NBA&rsquo;s aspiring contenders, and now that we&rsquo;re officially beyond the halfway point of the season, everything matters that much more.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported early Thursday that Lonzo Ball has a small meniscus tear in his left knee. Hours later, the Chicago Bulls <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lonzo-ball-dealing-with-meniscus-tear-in-knee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed the injury</a>, relaying that Lonzo will undergo arthroscopic surgery with a recovery period of 6-to-8 weeks.
The Bulls are already missing Zach LaVine due to a left knee bone contusion, <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/sports/nbcsports/bulls-zach-lavine-lonzo-ball-to-miss-road-trip-with-knee-injuries/2731931/?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_CHBrand">which will keep him out a least a few more games</a>. And while that&rsquo;s a short-term injury, Chicago suddenly has a thinning roster.
Patrick Williams is expected to be out for the season with a dislocated wrist. Derrick Jones Jr. <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10023745-bulls-rumors-derrick-jones-jr-out-4-6-weeks-knee-injury-diagnosed-as-bone-bruise">may be out another month</a> with a bone-bruised knee suffered last week. Javonte Green is still <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32988184/chicago-bulls-guard-javonte-green-2-4-weeks-strained-groin">working his way back from a strained groin</a>.
Alex Caruso just returned after a month absence due to a mixture of leg, hamstring, and COVID issues, and even so, they&rsquo;re still very shorthanded at 28-15.
People are already throwing the Bulls around in trade rumors. Should they ask the Toronto Raptors about Goran Dragić? Would Caris LeVert coming from the Indiana Pacers be a helpful fit? Does acquiring Josh Hart from the New Orleans Pelicans make sense? Could they get any of the 6-foot-3 scoring guards from the Portland Trail Blazers not named Damian Lillard?
The Bulls do have <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/chicago-bulls/cap/">usable salaries to pair</a>, like Jones' $9.7 million, Williams&rsquo; $7.4 million and Coby White&rsquo;s $5.8 million. They <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Bulls.htm">also have draft picks</a>, including all of their own first-rounders after 2023 and a collection of second-rounders.
But we&rsquo;ve seen other contenders elsewhere not behave erratically and trust their own guys, at least in the interim. In the own-conference contender bubble, the Brooklyn Nets have turned to guys like Kessler Edwards, Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe, Cam Thomas and David Duke Jr. at different points, all of whom were a part of the 2021 draft class (though, Duke went undrafted and is on a two-way contract).
And, tied with Chicago, the Miami Heat have risen to the top of the East despite Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry having only played 14 games together this season. How&rsquo;s that possible? Just guys stepping up when called upon: Tyler Herro, PJ Tucker, Max Strus, Caleb Martin (a two-way), Gabe Vincent, Dewayne Dedmon and &Ouml;mer Yurtseven.
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Ball's obviously going to be a difficult replacement because of what he means to Chicago. His perimeter defense is elite, which is an especially deadly pairing when logging minutes next to Caruso. He's also developed into a sniper from deep, hitting 42.3% of his triples this season, the best of his career. And as the starting point guard, logging 34.6 minutes per contest, Ball is posting 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.
He's also accounting for a career-best .101 win shares per 48 minutes and is second in box plus-minus on the team behind Zach LaVine, and his 108 defensive rating ties Caruso for the best among Bulls guards. In no world is this level of two-way production easy to replace, moreso when it comes from your starting point guard.&nbsp;
For the Bulls though, as opposed to making any drastic changes, why not just use what you have? The aforementioned White is turning 22 years old next month, and lately, has been productive in his expanded role since returning from COVID protocols in December. In 16 games &mdash; and eight starts since Dec. 19 &mdash; White&rsquo;s averaged 16.4 points, and 3.1 assists on 50/45/86 shooting splits. In his last 11 games, he&rsquo;s up to 17.7 points and 3.0 assists per contest while slashing 54/51/91.
In other respects, the Bulls have turned to second-round rookie Ayo Dosunmu. Dosunmu, who just turned 22 on Jan. 17, was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ayo-dosunmu-ready-to-seize-the-moment-as-he-becomes-complete-player-nba-draft-prospects-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an All-American at Illinois</a>, a national championship favorite last season before losing to Loyola-Chicago in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32.
A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Dosunmu is averaging 7.2 points while shooting 55.4% from the field and 45.7% from three in 21.3 minutes per game. He's also providing adequate defense, as expected when he was drafted at No. 38 overall.
Dosunmu is only at 1.7 assists per game, but has shown more playmaking ability across his last three outings, his best spurt as a rookie. Dosunmu&rsquo;s averaged 18.0 points, 8.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over that stretch, shooting 76.7% from the floor and 70.0% from deep on 10.0 overall attempts per game. Continuing to unlock Dosunmu might be the best option for Chicago in the immediate.
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Dosumu, at least for now, could give you the spacing, playmaking and point-of-attack defense needed until Ball comes back. He won&rsquo;t be what Ball is consistently, but it&rsquo;ll be close enough for now without having to create mass roster upheaval.
The Heat are excellent at player development, but if you&rsquo;re the Bulls, you have to view what they&rsquo;re doing with undrafted talent and think you could sustainably get more-than-adequate production from your talented second-round draft pick in a similar fashion.

Bryan Fonseca weighs the Bulls' options with the news of Lonzo Ball having to miss time due to knee surgery.

Where the Bulls should turn with Lonzo Ball getting knee surgery

Somehow, someway, the Miami Heat seem to always manage to mine unknown players, dust them off, and turn them into gems. In the 2021-22 season, that new gem was truly unveiled in the absence of Bam Adebayo, who returns from his six-week absence on Monday.
Omer Yurtseven began his professional basketball career in Turkey at the age of 15, in 2013, with the country's prestigious club Fenerbahce. Yurtseven developed extraordinary pro experience when many at his age were still playing other high schoolers. In 2016, Yurtseven left Fenerbahce in search of more playing time, which landed him at North Carolina State. He started immediately for the Wolfpack, but he wasn&rsquo;t putting any scouts on notice. After his sophomore season, Yurtseven decided to transfer to Georgetown for his final collegiate season. There, he put up career-best numbers under former NBA legend Patrick Ewing, averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
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Yurtseven made a great final impression, but it still wasn&rsquo;t enough to get drafted. The 7-footer decided to go the G League route where he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder&rsquo;s affiliate.
A few months later, Yurtseven signed with the Miami Heat. From there, his NBA journey went an entirely different route than anyone could have expected.
Fast-forward six months and Yurtseven has been an integral piece in the Miami Heat&rsquo;s success this season. Once Adebayo went out with a thumb injury, Yurtseven was thrown into the fire as a backup big alongside Dewayne Dedmon. Over a fast-growing sample size of minutes and games, Yurtseven has passed his first NBA test with flying colors.
He will likely slide into a scaled-back reserve role after this weekend as Adebayo soaks up heavy minutes at center, but he&rsquo;s now become an intriguing long-term development piece for Miami.
Heading into Friday&rsquo;s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, the Heat have carried an above .500 record at 13-7 without their All-Star big man. Miami&rsquo;s ability to stay afloat is closely linked with how many underrated pieces stepped up for the team along the way. It should be noted that even during this stretch, Jimmy Butler was in-and-out of the starting lineup multiple times as well.
Tyler Herro looked the part, once again, of an instrumental building block for their young core. Duncan Robinson snapped out of his season-long shooting slump. Kyle Lowry&rsquo;s offseason addition loomed large as his veteran presence was massive for the undermanned Heat.
However the most impressive player in my eyes was the unheralded Turkish big who has now carved out a golden opportunity for himself in Miami.
Since Yurtseven became a fixture in the Heat&rsquo;s rotation, he has averaged 10.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28.7 minutes per game. That&rsquo;s a big enough sample size over 12 games to parse through the unique elements Yurtseven brings to the Heat&rsquo;s frontcourt.
Yurtseven has displayed elite rebounding traits, placing him in the upper-echelon alongside well-known board gobblers (Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Clint Capela), as well as showing promising floor-spacing potential. More recently, though, Yurtseven has brought intrigue via an ability to find open shooters, often operating as a high-post facilitator. Over his last three games, Yurtseven has dished out 18 assists. That&rsquo;s more dimes than Yurtseven put together since the stretch when he originally entered Miami&rsquo;s rotation (17).
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Yurtseven&rsquo;s blossoming all-around development has of course caught the eye of Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
&ldquo;He has good vision," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Yurtseven&rsquo;s career-high 8 assists against the Phoenix Suns. "He has size. and he's had some games for us where he's been able to find open cutters, dribbles out to shooters. He's really improved in that aspect of helping somebody else get an open look. He&rsquo;s earned more touches in those situations to be able to do a little bit of playmaking for us.&rdquo;
Add it all together and it's obvious the 23-year-old big man is just now beginning to scratch the surface of what his potential could truly become in South Beach.
Miami hit the lottery again with their renowned player development program. Omer Yurtseven is a keeper, and he&rsquo;s well on his way to being a vital piece in their puzzle.

The Miami Heat's player development program has hit another home run with 7-foot undrafted center Omer Yurtseven.

The Miami Heat haved mined another gem with Omer Yurtseven

Tommy Beer is back with his latest version of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings. To read last week's version, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-a-new-years-resolution-for-each-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
Ja Morant and his high-flying Memphis Grizzlies, who are riding a nine-game winning streak, leap all the way up to No. 3 in this week's Basketball News Power Rankings.&nbsp;
1. Golden State Warriors (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 1
The Warriors, who were already one of the best teams in the league, welcomed back one of this generation's best two-way players in Klay Thompson on Sunday night. We'll see if Klay can stay healthy, but he certainly looked solid in the Dubs' victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes. Cool factoid on Thompson: He had been sidelined for 941 days before suiting up Sunday and scoring 17 points. The only player in NBA history to miss more time due to injury and score more points in his first game back was Bill Walton (20 points in 1982) after missing 962 days. (Editor's Note: Etan Thomas <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/exwarriors-coach-mark-jackson-is-happy-to-see-klay-thompson-back-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with Mark Jackson about Thompson's return</a> recently.)
2. Phoenix Suns (30-9) &harr;️ Last Week: 2
After a disappointing rookie season, the Suns declined Jalen Smith's team option of $4.7 million for the 2022-23 season. As a result, Smith, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Well, after injuries and a Covid outbreak left the team short-handed in late December, Smith <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-have-a-big-man-predicament-theyre-happy-to-deal-with" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stepped in and stepped up</a>, surprisingly averaging 15.8 points (on 55.4% shooting) and 10.2 rebounds over a six-game stretch.&nbsp;
3. Memphis Grizzlies (28-14) ⬆️ Last Week: 6
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LeBron on <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>'s insane block: "They got rockets in his calf muscles. It was a spectacular play. Salute." <a href="https://t.co/FSkjD6nXZ5">pic.twitter.com/FSkjD6nXZ5</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1480539311921577992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ja Morant set the internet ablaze when the highlight clip of his block of Avery Bradley went viral, and the Grizzlies notched a franchise-record ninth straight win Sunday night in Los Angeles. "That's probably the best block I've ever seen live. Probably the best block I've ever seen, period," Jaren Jackson Jr. told reporters after the game. "That was crazy. I knew he was going to do it, too, because he always loads up right before." In the two games Memphis played in L.A. over the weekend, Jackson was magnificent, racking up 47 points, 20 rebounds, 11 blocks (!!), 4 steals and 3 treys.&nbsp;
4. Chicago Bulls (26-11) &harr;️ Last Week: 4
Thanks to a rare poor shooting night, the Bulls finally had their nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday night in Dallas. Chicago, which leads the NBA in three-point accuracy this season, made only 11 of the 33 triples the team tried vs. the Mavs. No Bulls team has won 10 or more games in a row since Michael Jordan's final season in the Windy City (1997-98).
5. Utah Jazz (28-13)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 3
The Jazz wrapped up a five-game road trip Monday night with a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons. Utah led Detroit by as much as 22 points in the first half, but was outscored 94-62 in the final 30 minutes. It's the Jazz's third straight defeat. They'll look to get back on track when they return home Wednesday to host the Cavs. &nbsp; 6. Miami Heat (25-15) ⬆️ Last Week: 8
Like most other teams in the league, the Heat have been hit hard by injuries and COVID this season, but it hasn't slowed them down. Consider this: Tyler Herro leads the team in total points this season, Caleb Martin leads the team in blocks and the team's three leading rebounders are Dewayne Dedmon, Omer Yurtseven and P.J. Tucker. And yet, Miami is still somehow 10 games over .500 and in third place in the conference. Head coach ​​Erik Spoelstra is doing an excellent job once again.&nbsp;
7. Milwaukee Bucks (26-17)&nbsp;⬇️&nbsp;Last Week: 5
After back-to-back defeats in Charlotte, the Bucks have lost 4 of their past 5 games. "You are definitely concerned anytime you lose four out of five," <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401360426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khris Middleton said</a> after Monday's loss to the Hornets. "And you never want to lose two in a row. You understand what the circumstances are (with players being out) and you never want to use that as an excuse. We understand what we're going through and everybody is going through. But we still have to go out there and compete." Things don't get any easier for the Bucks, as they travel home to take on the Warriors on Thursday night.&nbsp;
8. Brooklyn Nets (25-14) ⬇️ Last Week: 7
The Nets are in the middle of a brutal stretch in which they play four games in five days, and five games in seven days. After beating the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon, Brooklyn flew across the country to Portland to make up for a contest initially scheduled for Dec. 23 that was postponed because of COVID-19 complications. James Harden was unable to play in Monday's loss to the Blazers due to a hyperextended left knee, but head coach Steve Nash said Harden should be available for Wednesday's game in Chicago.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (23-16) ⬆️ Last Week: 10
Philly is rolling right now. Having won seven straight games, it is the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference; the Grizz are the only team in the league with a longer streak. Joel Embiid has been the engine driving the Sixer train all season, and during this seven-game stretch, he is doing it all, averaging 32.9 points (on 56% shooting), 10.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 blocks.&nbsp;
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-18) ⬇️ Last Week: 9
Darius Garland continues to make his case for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Over his last eight appearances, Garland is averaging 20.9 points, 6.8 assists, 3.0 boards, 1.1 steals and 2.6 made three-pointers. He also has posted a remarkably impressive +253 plus/minus this season, which is the sixth-best individual +/- in the NBA, one spot ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
11. Charlotte Hornets (22-19) ⬆️ Last Week: 12
After closing out last week with a victory over the defending champs, the Hornets started this week on a high note by defeating the Bucks once again. Terry Rozier poured in 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 triples and 2 steals in Monday's victory. Over the Hornets' last seven games, Scary Terry is averaging 23.9 points, 4.7 boards, 3.7 assists, and 4.6 triples, while shooting a scorching 51.7% from the field and 50% from downtown (having made 32 of his last 63 three-point attempts).&nbsp;
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12. Dallas Mavericks (22-18) ⬆️ Last Week: 15
The Mavs have won six straight, and registered one of their most impressive victories of the season Sunday night vs. the Bulls, ending Chicago's nine-game win streak. The Mavs have missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis for stretches this season, but Jalen Brunson has appeared in 39 of Dallas' 40 games this season and played very well. (Coming into Sunday, he led the team in total points and assists in 2021-22.) Brunson has been especially productive this past month, averaging 19.3 points (on 51% shooting), 7.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 made treys over the Mavs' previous 13 contests.&nbsp;
13. Toronto Raptors (20-17) ⬆️ Last Week: 18
The red-hot Raps extended their winning streak to a season-high six games on Sunday with a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Fred VanVleet has been playing at a truly elite level as of late. Over his last seven appearances, FVV is averaging 30.6 points, 7.4 assists, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 5.9 (!!) made three-pointers and just 0.9 turnovers, while shooting 46% from downtown and 96.7% from the charity stripe. The Raps are 7-0 in those seven games. VanVleet <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-all-star-case-fred-vanvleet-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves an All-Star nod this year</a>.&nbsp;
14. Denver Nuggets (20-18)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 11
The Nuggets are back above .500 after winning 5 of the 7 games they've played since Christmas. It's been Nikola Jokic, of course, who has powered Denver during this recent streak. Over his last eight games, the Joker is averaging a mind-boggling 26.1 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.&nbsp;
15. Los Angeles Lakers (21-20)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 13
The Lakers' had won four in a row and 5 of their previous 6 games before getting blown out by the Grizz on Sunday night. However, the loss can't be pinned on LeBron James, who is somehow still playing at an incredibly high level despite turning 37 years old two weeks ago. Over L.A.'s past 11 games, James is averaging 34.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 3.1 triples.&nbsp;
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-20) ⬆️ Last Week: 19
Karl-Anthony Towns was dominant in the Wolves 141-123 victory over the Houston Rockets in Sunday night, pouring in a season-high 40 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Last week, the Wolves also received a nice boost from Jarred Vanderbilt, who has averaged 16.0 rebounds (!!), 12.3 points (on 63% shooting), 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals over Minnesota's past three games.&nbsp;
17. Washington Wizards (20-20) ⬇️ Last Week: 14
The Lakers may be questioning their end of August's blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, but the Wizards have to be delighted with the early returns. On Sunday night, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 14 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to lead the Wiz past Orlando; meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma racked up 27 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in the victory. Over Washington's last six games, Kuz is averaging 27.0 points (on 53% shooting) and 13.0 rebounds. The only other player in the league averaging at least 27 points and 11 boards this month is Giannis.&nbsp;
18. Los Angeles Clippers (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 16
The Clippers had lost 6 of 8 since losing Paul George to an elbow injury, but L.A. got back on track Sunday with a much-needed victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Clips fans also got some encouraging news via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who reported late last week that Kawhi Leonard is ahead of schedule in his rehab from his torn right ACL, and there's a "strong possibility" <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kawhi-leonard-knee-ahead-of-schedule-strong-chance-he-returns-this-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he could return this season</a>.
19. Boston Celtics (20-21)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 17
After losing last Wednesday to San Antonio and then blowing a 25-point second-half lead to the New York Knicks the following night, it appeared the Celtics were spiraling. However, Boston head coach Ime Udoka challenged his team, and the C's have responded with two consecutive wins, including a revenge win over New York and an overtime victory vs. the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
20. New York Knicks (20-21) ⬆️ Last Week: 21
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
30-ball from Barrett 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/RjBarrett6?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RjBarrett6</a> drops 31 PTS to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nyknicks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nyknicks</a> to the huge home win! <a href="https://t.co/qkgDGoIldA">pic.twitter.com/qkgDGoIldA</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1480894789356769281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Knicks got a much-needed win over the Spurs on Monday, thanks in large part to RJ Barrett's 31 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. It was the fourth time Barrett has scored 30-plus points this season, and New York is undefeated (4-0) in those games, with three of the wins by double-digits. After a nasty midseason slump, it appears Barrett is back on track. Over his last six games, RJ is averaging 23.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 triples. &nbsp;
21. Atlanta Hawks (17-22) ⬇️ Last Week: 20
The Hawks wrapped up their six-game road trip Sunday with a loss in Los Angeles, finishing just 2-4 on their West Coast swing. Atlanta, now five games under .500, has been one of the league's most disappointing teams this season. Interestingly, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Hawks have emerged as a new "suitor to watch" and potential <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hawks-emerging-as-a-potential-landing-spot-for-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sixers trade partner in the Ben Simmons saga</a>.&nbsp;
22. Portland Trail Blazers (16-24) ⬆️ Last Week: 23 
Anfernee Simons remained red-hot in the Blazers' victory over the Nets on Monday night, dishing out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Given an expanded role with Dame Lillard sidelined by an abdominal injury, Simons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/anfernee-simons-is-stepping-up-with-more-responsibility-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has played remarkably well</a>. Over Portland's last five games, he is averaging 27.8 points (on 51% shooting), 7.6 assists and 5.0 made treys. He's one of seven players averaging more than 27 points and 5 dimes in January. The other five are Giannis, Trae Young, Joel Embiid, Fred VanVleet, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Not bad company for the kid to keep.
23. Indiana Pacers (15-26) ⬆️ Last Week: 24
The Pacers have lost 7 of their last 8 games, but Domantas Sabonis has done everything possible to prop up his teammates during this stretch, as he's averaged 23.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.1 made three-pointers.&nbsp;
24. Sacramento Kings (16-27)&nbsp;⬇️ Last Week: 22
Encouragingly, over his last 14 games dating back to Dec. 17, Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 18.4 points, 9.1 assists (vs. just 2.7 turnovers), 1.5 steals and 2.7 made three-pointers while shooting 50.8% from the field, 50.7% from downtown and 84.6% from the free-throw stripe. Discouragingly, over that same stretch, De'Aaron Fox is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 assists (vs. 2.9 turnovers), 0.9 steals and 0.5 made three-pointers while shooting 43.2% from the floor, 17.9% from downtown and 77.6% from the line. The Kings have lost five straight games.
25. San Antonio Spurs (15-25) &harr;️ Last Week: 25
The Spurs are struggling as losers in 7 of their last 8. Yet, one bright spot has been the play of Dejounte Murray. In the four games he's played since returning from COVID protocols, Murray is averaging 23.0 points. 9.5 dimes, 6.8 boards, 1.3 triples and 2.5 steals.&nbsp;
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (13-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 26
OKC has lost 6 of its last 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in 5 of these 7 contests, and although he's put up solid counting stats, he's been highly inefficient offensively. During this current stretch, SGA is attempting a team-high 17.6 shots a night, but is shooting just 33% from the floor and 20.8% from downtown.&nbsp;
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27. New Orleans Pelicans (14-26) &harr;️ Last Week: 27
Before sitting out Sunday, Josh Hart had been on a two-week tear for the Pels. Over his previous eight games, Hart was averaging 17.8 points (on 53.3% shooting), 9.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 treys. However, New Orleans has lost 4 of its past 5 contests. &nbsp;
28. Detroit Pistons (9-30) ⬆️ Last Week: 29
The Pistons stunned the Jazz on Monday night, beating Utah by double-digits. Rookie sensation ​​Cade Cunningham led the way, scoring a career-high 29 points (on 10-of-17 shooting) and chipping in 6 rebounds, 5 treys, an assist, a block and just 2 turnovers in the 126-116 win.
29. Houston Rockets (11-31) ⬇️ Last Week: 28
After getting blown out by the Sixers Monday night, the Rockets have now lost 11 of their past 12 games. Things don't get any easier for Houston, as they are about to embark on a five-game road trip that concludes with back-to-back games vs. the Jazz and Warriors.&nbsp;
30. Orlando Magic (7-34) &harr;️ Last Week: 30
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Monday that the Magic had signed president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond to contract extensions that run through the 2025-26 season. Despite Orlando's struggles this year, ownership is "pleased with the direction of the team's rebuild, including the hiring of coach Jamhal Mosley and drafting of first-round picks Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony."

Tommy Beer checks in with an installment of BasketballNews.com's NBA Power Rankings.

NBA Power Rankings: Grizz sizzling; Raptors, 76ers, Mavs streaking

As the league continues to morph into an inferior product of what we saw last month, primarily due to COVID, we can&rsquo;t ignore the impact of injuries as well. Without rehashing that brutally long inactive list, if you&rsquo;ve been paying attention, you just know it&rsquo;s rough out here.&nbsp;
While the Miami Heat, sans Caleb Martin, have luckily evaded COVID thus far (knock on wood, everyone), they&rsquo;ve missed Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro with injuries, often playing without all three of them this month. P.J. Tucker is now out as well, and Markieff Morris still hasn&rsquo;t played since Nikola Jokić tried to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNMh2MRQIs4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marcus Cor Von his ass</a>.
But even before all that, the Heat entered the season with 12 healthy, fully-contracted players. That's excluding their pair of two-way slots, Victor Oladipo, who is recovering from <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31433979/miami-heat-victor-oladipo-season-ending-surgery-right-quadriceps-tendon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quad surgery</a> (again) and the O.G. Udonis Haslem, who obviously won&rsquo;t be playing a ton.
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Good news, Miami: Victor Oladipo traveled with the Heat to Cleveland. Here's some footage of some shootaround stuff he did. <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z0cmExXOsd">pic.twitter.com/Z0cmExXOsd</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470430451982548999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The open roster spot? Well, their CEO Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Cruise Line, wants no parts of that luxury tax during this pandemic. Rightfully so, since it isn't exactly cruise season right now.
This is admittedly a long-winded way to get to my point, but it still needed to be laid bare so we can&nbsp; understand and appreciate what the Heat have done this season despite all this wear and tear (which really goes back to the 2019-20 season, that&rsquo;s for another piece). And not only the team, <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyHawk305/status/1473490041603346435">specifically the guy helping pull the strings</a>, a man who is affectionately <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=QB1%20%40MiamiHEAT&amp;src=typed_query">referred to as QB1</a>.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s no need to overcomplicate this any further: Kyle Lowry makes your team better.&nbsp;
Morris hasn&rsquo;t played since Nov. 8; Butler since Nov. 27 (save for a 25-minute cameo on Dec. 6); Adebayo since Nov. 29, and Herro missed three games in mid-December on top of Nov. 27 and 29.&nbsp;
Even with Erik Spoelstra as your conductor, playing musical chairs could feel like trying to beat Allyson Felix in a 100-meter sprint. And the Heat just experienced this last season, which is why they went through that 7-14 start before going 33-18 until the playoffs.&nbsp;
The difference? It starts with Lowry; it has to.&nbsp;
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First of all, producing without much of your playoff rotation is a pain in the ass for anyone.
Secondly, while Lowry&rsquo;s 13.7 points and 8.3 assists &ndash; along with 4.7 rebounds per game &ndash; have come on just 42/33/83 shooting splits, it's upticked to 16.0 points and 9.4 assists on 44/35/78 splits (3.8 free throw attempts per game instead of 1.9 previously) since Nov. 27, a 13-game stretch.&nbsp;
As much as some people would like more 20-point games out of him, that&rsquo;s not where Lowry needs to be at his best. The definition of point guard is convoluted in the modern-day, but old-school floor generals were taught to make their teammates better, first and foremost. As the game has grown more perimeter-centric and positionless, and with smaller guards being more ball-dominant, it&rsquo;s more common to see guys accumulating 22 points and 5 assists at the position instead of what Lowry&rsquo;s box scores look like.&nbsp;
Go look at the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-25 NBA scorers from this season</a> &mdash; more than half of them are guards, and almost 10 of them play point guard. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2012_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ten years ago</a> was much more forward-heavy, and only five of the top-25 (top-30, actually) ran the point. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2002_per_game.html#per_game_stats::pts_per_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twenty years ago</a>? Just three point guards were in the top-25 in scoring, and two of them averaged at least 8 assists per game. This isn&rsquo;t to say this is good or bad for the position, but it&rsquo;s changed, and it&rsquo;s probably why Lowry&rsquo;s contributions have been underappreciated.&nbsp;
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Now, that whole thing about making your teammates better...
Firstly, Lowry&rsquo;s had 10 or more assists 10 times just this season, a feat previous Heat starter Goran Dragić didn&rsquo;t achieve with the Heat until Jan. 27, 2017, nearly two years after being traded there. Dragić more closely resembles what we refer to as the modern-day point guard by comparison. But the need for a Lowry-type in the starting lineup for Miami's roster construction is probably why Dragić came off the bench in his last two years; Butler was the de facto floor general next to Adebayo, one of the best passing bigs in the league.&nbsp;
Secondly, and more importantly, the role players people were scared about suddenly look like competent guys who Spo might occasionally plug in to distort a specific foe or playoff series.
<ul>
<li>Max Strus, who our Spencer Davies <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-max-strus-on-heats-nextman-up-mentality-building-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke with last week</a>, is up to 10.3 points per game on 46/40/73 shooting this season, and 13.8 points on 48/41/83 shooting since Nov. 27.</li>
<li>Gabe Vincent a.k.a. Fred VanVleet Lite (mad lite, though) &mdash; he&rsquo;s at 12.8 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 46/40/74 since Nov. 27.</li>
<li>Before COVID sidelined him after a Dec. 8 breakout game, Caleb Martin was in a six-game stretch averaging 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 57/52/71.</li>
<li>Veteran big man Dewayne Dedmon&rsquo;s up to 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds over his last six while going 65% from the field and 5 of 8 from three.</li>
</ul>
And even the mainstays like Adebayo, Butle and Tucker &ndash; and Herro, in particular &ndash; have seen offensive advancements with Lowry on the floor. With Butler and Adebayo missing games, Herro has an outside shot at All-Star Weekend if he remains around 20.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 44/39/86 shooting. (The backcourt will be tough to crack in the Eastern Conference, but with all these variants and variables, who knows?)
Heading into Thursday night, Lowry is behind Butler and tied with Tucker for second in team VORP (0.7), second in Win Shares at 2.6, first in Defensive Win Shares at 1.2 and is just sixth in usage rating at 19.9%.&nbsp;
But forget that. Just watch, and you&rsquo;ll know. This isn&rsquo;t to say Lowry&rsquo;s an All-Star, that he&rsquo;s "Chris Paul whatever.0," or that he&rsquo;s Steve Nash reincarnated or Rod Strickland's illegitimate son.
Just watch the games. He&rsquo;s been an impactful floor general so far, and he hasn&rsquo;t even hit that many of his shots yet. They&rsquo;re starting to fall now, and presumably, it'll get easier when reinforcements arrive.
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Bryan Fonseca writes on how Kyle Lowry has been the Heat's floor general since major injuries hit the team.

Kyle Lowry's overlooked, old-school ways leading undermanned Heat

Saddiq Bey scored 26 points and the Detroit Pistons snapped their franchise record-tying, 14-game losing streak with a 100-90 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday.
Hamidou Diallo had 15 points and seven rebounds for Detroit, which recorded its first victory since a 97-89 triumph over Indiana on Nov. 17. Frank Jackson added 12 points and Killian Hayes chipped in 11.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to get the monkey off our back,&rdquo; Bey said. &ldquo;We know a lot of our losses have been close and down the stretch. It was just good to see that if we execute down the stretch what we can do. We&rsquo;ve got to build off of it, keep fighting to win every game.&rdquo;
The Pistons start a rookie and three second-year players. They don't have anyone older than 23 in the current lineup.
&ldquo;It bothers you but that's not what this season is about,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said of the streak. &ldquo;I'm not caught up in 14 straight. I'm caught up in these guys growing and developing. Sooner or later, all this stuff is going to click.&rdquo;
Max Strus led the Heat with 24 points off the bench. Kyle Lowry had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Dewayne Dedmon added 11 points for Miami, which had won four of its last five.
&ldquo;The guys really battled,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;We made mistakes but it was not from a lack of want, or a lack of competitiveness or lack of making efforts. Guys laid it out there. We were a little flat offensively and weren't able to get over the hump.&rdquo;
Strus scored 15 first-half points as Miami led 48-46 at the break.
Detroit finished the third quarter on a 27-9 run to gain a 79-67 advantage.
Miami closed within five points with less than 5 minutes remaining but Bey and Hayes hit 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Pistons retain the lead.
The Heat shot 37.8% from the field and made just 30.2% of their 43 3-point attempts.
&ldquo;We created a lot of our offense with our defense, more so than anything else,&rdquo; Casey said.
Bey scored 19 points in the second half. He's averaging 25.7 points over the last three games.
&ldquo;He's been very decisive, instead of thinking about shooting and pump-faking himself out of shots,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;That's the biggest difference.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Heat: Forward P.J. Tucker left the game in the third quarter with a left knee injury. Miami was already missing Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo due to injuries. Caleb Martin is in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. ... Miami won 100-92 in Detroit last month. The third game of the four-game season series will be played in Miami on Thursday.
Pistons: Detroit's previous 14-game losing streaks were from March 7-30, 1980, and Dec. 20, 1993 to Jan. 18, 1994. &hellip; Detroit missed 17 of 19 3-point attempts in the first half.
UP NEXT
Heat: Host Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Pistons: Visit New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Saddiq Bey scored 26 points and the Pistons snapped their franchise record-tying, 14-game losing streak with a 100-90 victory.

Pistons topple Heat 100-90, snap 14-game losing streak

For many in the NBA, this season has been a battle of attrition. Whether it's been COVID protocols, injuries or other setbacks, teams have gone through the wringer.
The Miami Heat are one of those ball clubs suffering. Recently, All-Star big man Bam Adebayo had surgery to repair a torn UCL that will keep him out for a significant period of time. In addition, Jimmy Butler has missed 6 of the last 7 games due to a tailbone injury, while Markieff Morris has been sidelined with a hurt neck since mid-November. A few days ago, Caleb Martin was also placed into the NBA's health and safety protocols to boot.
However, the Heat have grinded this period out and won back-to-back games against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and ailing Chicago Bulls, and currently stand as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference in spite of all this. Much of this is thanks to the leadership of Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Dewayne Dedmon, plus a veteran coach in Erik Spoestra.
But there are a number of players on Miami who have stepped up to the plate during this crucial period. Max Strus is one of those key components, and the third-year sharpshooter has made his mark for the team as of late. In a season where he's averaged a career-high 20.2 minutes per contest, Strus is knocking down 40.6% of his treys (the second best clip for Miami, just behind Tucker's 42.6%).
Over the last eight games, Strus has averaged 12.0 points per game. He's had games with 19 points, 25 points and 16 points over that time, and has been a part of feisty second units featuring Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Omer Yurtseven and Martin (with a vet or two on the floor with them).
BasketballNews.com sat down with Strus on Monday morning in Cleveland to discuss a number of topics:
Just in this stretch, winning the last two games, the never-say-die attitude that your team is showing down so many bodies &mdash; what's that say about this group?
Max Strus: "We've got a lot of guys that can play basketball at this level. We've got a lot of depth. [At the] beginning of the year, people didn't think we were going to have depth. And then, we've done a good job of showing, I think, the talent that we have on this team. Guys have had the resiliency to step up when we've needed them the most."
Obviously, you want this team to be at full strength, but how have guys like you, Gabe Vincent, KZ Okpala, Caleb Martin and Omer Yurtseven viewed this opportunity?&nbsp;
Strus: "That's the name of the game in the NBA is opportunities, and taking advantage of 'em can take you far places in this league. So whenever those opportunities arise, you've got to be ready for 'em. Like you said, it's next man up. You don't want those guys to be out, but if they're gonna be out, somebody's gotta play better and take advantage of it."
Even with that, you're averaging a career-high 20 minutes per game this year. How do you feel like this coaching staff has learned to trust you and what do you feel you've done to earn that trust?
Strus: "I think it's just all the work that I put in behind the scenes, and the trust that I've built up with the minutes in the past year. And then, throughout the summer and Summer League, and the things that I've done when I've been in the game this year. I think I've done enough to earn their respect and earn their trust by what I've been doing when I play every time. I think you just keep stacking up those good days, and the more and more you do that, the better off you're gonna be."
This past summer, you showed that quite a bit. You went off for 25 points about a week-and-a-half ago and had 16 the other night. Do you draw on any of that experience from the summer to help you in this particular situation?
Strus: "Nah. Summer League was more like a learning experience and something to build your confidence up, but the NBA's a whole different animal. We've got guys that could go for 25 at the end of our bench any night, so it's really about who's just gonna step up that night, and when the shots are falling, just keep feeding that guy. I think the Miami Heat do a good job of going with that guy and trusting their ability."
Is there anything other than reps and that experience that have helped build your confidence?
Strus: "Yeah, just the overall way my career has gone. Just keep knocking down the levels of getting to be a rotational player in the NBA. All the things that I've put in, the hard work behind the scenes and then everything I've done in the games. Obviously you're gonna be confident with everything you've done after you've continuously put in those efforts and done the main things on the court."
Do you look at what Duncan Robinson has done as an example of what you can kinda carve your career after? He kinda started off in the same position having to work his way up, and now you see the fruits of those labors.
Strus: "Right, yeah. I think that's just how it generally happens for anyone. Me and Duncan have a similar story, and coming from where we come from, you take any opportunity you can get just to be in this league. So the way he rose up along this process has obviously helped me, and he's helped guide me along that way. Do I want to be where he is? Obviously, yeah (laughs). I mean, the guy is doing everything I want to be doing. But I think we have a lot of similarities and a lot of differences in our games. So I think I have the capability to be that type of guy and play those minutes."
As far as your on-court game goes, is there an aspect you're hoping to show other than your shooting?
Strus: "I mean, not really. I'm not out here to show anybody what I can do. I just want to help do whatever I can do to help our team win."
What do you feel is the best way to do that?
Strus: "Shooting. Making shots, and then just making the right play every time. They've trusted me to put the ball in my hands, come off ball-screens, come off handoffs, get in the paint and make plays. So they've trusted me to make those things [happen] and I've worked on my ability to make those plays, so I just want to keep continuing to get better at that."

Spencer Davies sits down with the Heat's Max Strus to discuss Miami's bout with the injury bug, chances on the floor and more.

Q&A: Max Strus on Heat's next-man-up mentality, building confidence

What if I told you the Houston Rockets now have the longest active winning streak in the NBA, and that the New Orleans Pelicans have won more over their last 10 games than many playoff contenders?
We've hit the holiday season with a bizarre stretch of basketball, where it truly seems like any non-Oklahoma City Thunder team can win on any given night. But with every surprise winner somes a disappointed loser, and as the .500-ish squads stack up, many fans are growing increasingly frustrated.
These are prime conditions for a much-needed Sour Rankings shakeup. Over half of this week's field is comprised of previously-unranked teams.
If you're new to the Sour Rankings, here's a refresher: Unlike the typical "power rankings" that repeat themselves throughout sports media, Sour Rankings are a bizarro-world counter. These rankings highlight the top-10 most frustrating NBA franchises throughout the season, and they will be updated every week to match the twists and turns of the league.&nbsp;
This is not merely a bottom-10 of your typical best-to-worst power rankings. You will see championship contenders and playoff hopefuls mixed in with struggling squads. Teams well under .500 may never touch the Sour Rankings because they are on track with their respective processes. Injuries, drama, transactions and generally underwhelming play will earn you a spot on this list.
The central question is ultimately this: How good should you feel about the direction of each franchise? Let's get going:
Escaping the Sour Rankings:&nbsp;Cleveland is officially back with Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen has been playing at an All-Star level lately. Even the losses have been of good quality. The Philadelphia 76ers went 2-1 this past week and beat the Atlanta Hawks on national TV behind Joel Embiid's return to his normal self. Pascal Siakam's 31-point game in Toronto's win on Sunday inspired enough confidence in his return to push the Raptors out of these rankings.
Houston also makes the most impressive escape of the season to date. Its six-game winning streak propels the team out of our No. 2 spot. Meanwhile, New Orleans is a respectable 5-5 in the last 10 games and breaks out after holding the No. 1 ranking for most of the early weeks. Good on the Pels.
10. Miami Heat (14-10)
Bam Adebayo is down for an extended period due to thumb surgery, and the Heat have won just one game in his absence against the rudderless Indiana Pacers. They were hit by two crushing losses to the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks who, not coincidentally, have some dominant interior presences. In the defeat to Milwaukee, Miami rolled with a Dewayne Dedmon/PJ Tucker/Max Strus/Omer Yurtseven frontcourt rotation. They're fine players, but none bring the combination of defensive acumen and offensive playmaking of Adebayo.
(Last week: Unranked)
9. Detroit Pistons (4-18)
The Pistons are tied for the longest winless streak and worst record in the NBA &mdash; not exactly coveted crowns. Things have still been touch-and-go for most of the young prospects, but Cade Cunningham does appear to be growing into his role as the offensive hub of the franchise. Cunningham dropped 26 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Trail Blazers, and then 19 points and 5 assists vs. Phoenix.&nbsp;
(Last week: 8)
8. Sacramento Kings (10-14)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marvin Bagley III (<a href="https://twitter.com/MB3FIVE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MB3FIVE</a>) in the Kings last 3 wins 20 MINS vs Clippers 12 PTS, 11 REB, 67% FG 35 MINS vs Lakers 13 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 100% FG 19 MINS vs Blazers 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 3PTS, 67% FG<a href="https://t.co/RbwXyg4woi">pic.twitter.com/RbwXyg4woi</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1467520387697287168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2021</a></blockquote>

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A solid week for Sacramento, who rebounded from a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers by sweeping the L.A. Clippers in a two-game series. Terence Davis logged two outings of 20-plus points to help grab that win, and Marvin Bagley III chipped in a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second victory over LAC. The Kings are in the midst of a pretty odd stretch, having played just one game in five days. Hopefully that's given interim head coach Alvin Gentry some time to stabilize things.
(Last week: 6)
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-16)
Look, I'm still a massive believer in the overall franchise direction of the OKC Thunder franchise. And a young team is going to take its lumps as part of the rebuilding process. But a 73-point loss is a 73-point loss, and an eight-game losing streak is an eight-game losing streak. OKC has to find some way to play meaningful, competitive hoops for the sake of learning and development. Nine of the team's 16 defeats have been by double digits.
(Last week: Unranked)
6. Dallas Mavericks (11-11)
The Mavericks are 2-7 in their last nine games, with those wins coming against the Clippers and Pelicans. They missed Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday and lost to a Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies squad in a contest that was not as close as the final score indicates. In this nine-game stretch, the once-high-octane Mavs offense has cleared 110 points just three times.
Dallas fans had to watch with longing as Texas native Desmond Bane, who the team passed on in favor of Josh Green in the 2020 NBA Draft, lit up the court. Green has played 54 minutes this season.
(Last week: Unranked)
5. Portland Trail Blazers (11-13)
So Neil Olshey is finally out as general manager, and based on the reports of his workplace culture (and the team's perpetual mediocrity), that seems like a long overdue move. But the act of firing a general manager midseason should never make you feel good about the team &mdash; it's just an obvious sign that things are not going well. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-damian-lillard-wants-to-play-with-ben-simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Damian Lillard wants to play with Ben Simmons</a>, but would this theoretical pairing be enough to drastically alter Portland's ceiling?&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Lillard is out with an abdominal injury, and the Blazers are 1-5 in their last six games.
(Last week: Unranked)
4. Denver Nuggets (11-11)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Joker leads the way 🃏 Nikola Jokic goes for 32 PTS, 11 REB and 5 AST in 27 minutes as the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> pick up the win in NYC! <a href="https://t.co/uLvOrnFDIn">pic.twitter.com/uLvOrnFDIn</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1467233497051926530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Nikola Jokic returned and yanked Denver out of the No. 1 ranking with his 32-point performance in a win over the Knicks. The Nuggets did still drop one to the lowly Orlando Magic, and now Bones Hyland, Austin Rivers and Bol Bol are all in the league's health and safety protocols. We'll see how this ragtag rotation does with four games in the next six days.
(Last week: 1)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (12-12)
The Lakers have played one contest in six days &mdash; a loss to the Clippers. Frank Vogel has now labeled Dwight Howard as the only center in the rotation, which is most notable because it means he still won't label Anthony Davis a center. L.A. gives up the fifth-most turnovers in the league and allows the fourth-most opposing offensive rebounds, so teams receive plenty of chances to score. Next up is a pivotal rivalry rematch against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
(Last week: 3)
2. New York Knicks (11-12)
Shaking up the rotation hasn't changed the results. The Knicks are on a three-game losing streak, and got trounced by the injury-plagued Nuggets this weekend. Julius Randle sporadically flips from All-NBA superstar to two-way negative, and RJ Barrett still cannot buy a consistent jump shot. New York got shredded by Denver's bench, consisting of Facundo Campazzo, Zeke Nnaji, Vlatko Cancar, JaMychal Green and the recently-signed Davon Reed.
(Last week: 4)
1. Indiana Pacers (9-16)
Indy Cornrows' Caitlin Cooper wrote an excellent analysis of just <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/2021/12/5/22815853/how-crunch-time-defines-the-current-state-of-the-pacers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how bad the Pacers are when crunch time comes</a>. Our own <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pacers-must-accept-new-reality-and-become-sellers-at-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Sidery slammed the franchise</a> for languishing in mediocrity well past due. Indiana is 9-16 and on the thin edge of the playoff race. Altogether, that alone should explain why the Pacers have plummeted to the No. 1 spot in these rankings.
(Last week: Unranked)

Five new teams appear in the Sour Rankings after some major shakeup.