Heat push through exhaustion in Jimmy Butler's return and take down 76ers, 106-89

MIAMI — The Miami Heat easily could have tapped out in this one, suffocated into an early 19-point deficit, exhausted by a schedule that had them playing on the second night of a back-to-back set the day after concluding a six-game trip, against a team coming off of two days of rest.

But sparked by the return of Jimmy Butler after a four-game absence, Erik Spoelstra’s team dug deeper, got unexpected contributions from unexpected contributors and pushed past the Philadelphia 76ers, 106-89, Monday night at Kaseya Center.

Playing in the injury absences of Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Heat went from shaky legs early to something seemingly inspired by the Blood Red Culture jerseys donned for the first time.

So what had been a 19-point deficit in the second quarter turned into a 16-point lead in the third, as the defense remained stifling and the shooting came around when needed..

Butler led the Heat with a 30-point effort that included a 13-of-13 performance from the line. He was supported by 18 points from Tyler Herro and 13 from Duncan Robinson..

The 76ers got 20 points from rookie Jared McCain and 18 from Paul George, but just 12 from center Joel Embiid, who started but had been listed as doubtful earlier in the day due to illness.

The victory lifted the Heat to 6-7, with the reeling 76ers falling to 2-11.

The Heat now finally get to catch their breath, idle until Sunday’s game against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

Five Degrees of Heat from Monday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: The Heat trailed 33-25 at the end of the opening period, then fell behind by 19 in the second period before closing within 56-53 at the half.

An 11-0 run early in the third period allowed the Heat to then push to an 88-72 lead going into the fourth.

Amid a season when third quarters have taken a sizable toll, the Heat this time outscored the 76ers 35-16 in the third, with Herro erupting for 16 in the quarter on 5-of-6 shooting.

— 2. Butler back: Butler was back after missing four games with a sprained right ankle and he was active early.

He not only converted his first three shots, but took the initial defensive assignment on George, and was up to 11 points when he checked out after his initial 9:07 stint.

The problem was until Butler checked back in for his second stint, the Heat were outscored by 19 points in the interim.

Butler was up to 19 points by halftime, productivity that included 9 of 9 from the line over the first two periods.

With the Heat in their Blood Red Culture jerseys, which stand as this season’s City Edition uniforms, Butler took it a step further by dying his hair in a similar red hue.

— 3. Everyone plays: Desperate times seemingly led to desperate measures early in the second period, as the Heat deficit grew to 19.

At that juncture, Spoelstra not only gave Alec Burks his first action in six games, but Dru Smith his first action in eight.

At that stage, the only available Heat players yet to see action were big men Kel’el Ware and Thomas Bryant.

Burks and Smith then played as initial Heat reserves in the second half, ahead of Josh Richardson, Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic.

Smith closed with 10 points, Burks with seven.

— 4. The spacers: Spoelstra opted for spacing in the starting lineup, giving Robinson his first start of the season.

The initial upshot was a combined 0 for 9 from beyond the arc with Herro over the first two periods.

But as the Heat got the ball moving in the second half, Herro had his breakthrough, with Robinson then following with a pair of 3-pointers.

Still, the breakthrough was limited, both finishing 2 of 10 from beyond the arc, the Heat finding other means to success.

— 5. Familiar faces: Former Heat players Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry both were in the 76ers’ starting lineup, with Martin greeted by a warm reception when introduced.

Martin then went out and did many of the things he did in helping the Heat to two Eastern Conference finals and one NBA Finals, closing with 12 points. Lowry, by contrast, closed scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.