The Miami Heat come back to home to begin a much-needed homestand against the T-Wolves. They weren’t very kind last time, but what’s 2K say this time?
The Miami Heat are only half-game ahead of the rival Philadelphia 76ers in the standings, so they should be looking to expand that lead in the final third of the season. Sure, they hold the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, but Heat Nation would rest a lot easier at night knowing they don’t have to depend on that.
This stretch of games includes a death match against the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks. Miami had a huge comeback win early in the season against this team, but they’re stronger than they were before, while Miami is not quite at full strength.
Sun-Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman has reported that Jimmy Butler looks to return Wednesday against the Timberwolves, but Tyler Herro and Meyers Leonard will remain out even though they’ve shed their walking boots.
Jimmy Butler (personal reasons) upgraded to questionable for Wednesday vs. Timberwolves. Herro and Leonard still out due to ankle injuries.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 25, 2020
Remember the last simulation where Bam Adebayo attempted eight shots from deep? So do I.
Some adjustments to his shooting tendencies had to be made and while I was at it, I looked at his badges and how many did I find? Seven. That’s it.
Seven total badges for a player that was an All-Star and currently leading the Most Improved Player rankings in the simulation and real life. Let’s just say, he’s now been badged up. I didn’t think that he warranted any Hall Of Fame level badges, but plenty of golds and silvers were handed out.
I record every matchup and upload it to YouTube, so if you want to see the simulation for yourself, the latest upload to my channel will have the footage uninterrupted. There you’ll be able to see the adjustments I made to the rotation of each team and the players overall.
Starting Lineup
Miami Heat
Point guard, Kendrick Nunn
Shooting guard, Duncan Robinson
Small forward, Jimmy Butler
Power forward, Kelly Olynyk
Center, Bam Adebayo
Minnesota Timberwolves
Point Guard, D’Angelo Russell
Shooting guard, Malik Beasley
Small forward, Josh Okogie
Power forward, Juan Hernangomez
Center, Naz Reid
Outcome
Miami Heat 116, Minnesota Timberwolves 69
The slogan the Heat have been touting is “Bounceback” and they delivered on that 100-percent. The first quarter was close through eight minutes, but Miami closed the period with a 12-4 run to take a nine-point lead.
Gut check time! With their lack of rim protection, the Timberwolves gave up 40 points to the Heat in the second quarter, thus sealing their fate. By halftime, the Heat led 65-31 and Bam Adebayo already had a double-double.
The Heat were playing boa constrictor like defense, holding Minnesota to just 21-percent shooting and only two made 3-pointers out of 24 attempts taken through two quarters. The Miami Heat scored just one point shy of the Timberwolves’ first-half point total in the paint alone.
The Heat finished off the Timberwolves without giving up the lead and by playing their brand of basketball. Heat nation cant ask for anything more. Adebayo had a monster stat line, including 100-percent from deep on one attempt and Butler was up to his usual hijinks in regards to the stat sheet as well.
Even with upgraded badges and attributes, Duncan Robinson only made three 3-pointers. I don’t want to upgrade those last two categories to the point where it’s completely unrealistic, but we might just have to in order to account for his real-life exploits, with the guess being that NBA 2K would call his exploits unrealistic. Plainly put, he’s setting franchise shooting records and I need NBA 2K to respect that.
Player stats
Miami Heat
Bam Adebayo – 27 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 2, steals, 5 blocks
Jimmy Butler – 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal
Kelly Olynyk – 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Goran Dragic – 15 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals
Duncan Robinson – 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6 fouls
Minnesota Timberwolves
Malik Beasley – 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
Jarrett Culver – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
D’Angelo Russell – 12 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal
James Johnson – 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Josh Okogie – 6 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist
Game number one of the homestand is complete. Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have been fixed for simulation’s sake, while the Heat march on to their next opponent in the 7th seeded Dallas Mavericks.
Miami needs to go 4-1 during this home stretch to make a potential-jump in the Eastern Conference standings. It would be great to have the single loss come against a team not named Milwaukee, but we understand if that ends up being the case., well … sort of.