Adebayo, Butler seize moment in absence of Durant and push Heat past Suns, 121-111

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Dec 7, 2024

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MIAMI — Before Tyler Herro became a thing, became the Miami Heat’s best thing, this was a season that was expected to revolve around Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.

Saturday night at Kaseya Center, that is how it played out in a 121-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

While Herro hardly was a no-show, with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, it was Adebayo who turned the game in the Heat’s favor in the third quarter, and Butler who helped put it away in the fourth.

With Kevin Durant sidelined for the Suns, the Heat seized the moment to move back above .500 at 11-10, backing up their solid effort in Wednesday night’s blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Adebayo led the way with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, with Butler adding 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Heat also got 19 points from Duncan Robinson and 14 from Haywood Highsmith.

Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday night’s game:

— 1. Closing time: The Suns led 29-26 at the end of the first period and 58-53 at halftime.

The Heat then used a 12-0 run early in the third quarter to move to a 13-point lead, before taking an 87-82 lead into the fourth.

The Heat would move to an 11-point lead early in the fourth, before the Suns closed within five. That’s when Butler moved to the scorers’ table to return, checking in with 4:56 to play, converting a 3-pointer with 4:16 to play to give the Heat a 106-100 lead, and then completing a 3-point play with 3:41 left to push the Heat lead to 109-100. Later, another Butler 3-point play with 3:14 to play put the Heat up 112-102.

— 2. Robinson’s roll: The type of breakout 3-point game awaited from Robinson arrived Saturday, when he shot 5 of 6 from beyond the arc in the first half, after opening the Heat scoring with a 3-pointer.

That sizzling start came in the wake of Robinson shooting 5 of 25 from beyond the arc the previous four games, including 0 for 6 Monday night in Boston.

Entering Saturday, Robinson had converted more than two 3-pointers just once in his previous eight games.

He closed 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers Saturday.

— 3. Rotation replacement: With Pelle Larsson out with the ankle sprain sustained late in Friday night’s practice, the Heat’s reserve rotation was reshuffled to again include Dru Smith.

Smith had played only once over a 12-game stretch before returning to the mix in the two games before Saturday.

“I’m really glad just like the rest of the staff and the team that Dru has gotten his feet wet, also, because he can fill in some of those minutes,” said coach Erik Spoelstra, who had hinted pregame that Larsson’s minutes would go either to Smith or Nikola Jovic.

It was the first game Larsson has missed due to injury. He previously had been held out by coach’s decision five times earlier in the season, but had appeared in the previous eight games prior to Saturday.

Smith played 29:19, closing with seven points and four rebounds.

— 4. Concerning no-show: After a scoreless, passive first half that saw him miss his lone attempt in 9:14 off the bench, Terry Rozier did not play in the third quarter, with Smith among those ahead of him in the rotation.

Rozier then entered at the start of the fourth, with practically no impact, on what turned into an 0-for-3 scoreless night, Smith playing ahead of him at closing time.

Rozier had scored in double figures in four of his six previous appearances, in a run that also included a four-point outing in Monday night’s blowout loss in Boston.

— 5. Back at it: The game opened a back-to-back set of home games that concludes Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While Sunday also is part of a back-to-back set for the Cavaliers, their 1 p.m. Saturday game in Charlotte was over well before the Heat arrived at Kaseya Center for their game against the Suns.

Cleveland won, 116-102, against the Hornets to improve to a league-best 21-3, despite being without Isaac Okoro due to a knee contusion. The Cavaliers also have been without former Heat guard Max Strus since the start of the season, due to an ankle sprain.