After dropping their last game to the Toronto Raptors, the Miami Heat will look to bounce back when they face the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
The Miami Heat dropped their second game inside the NBA’s bubble on Monday to the reigning champ Toronto Raptors. On the second night of a back to back, they’ll face Jayson Tatum and the third seed Boston Celtics, with hopes of grabbing a conference win.
The Heat have some adjustments to make and not a lot of time to make them before this matchup on Tuesday night. Monday’s game against Toronto saw them fall into a 17-point hole and their comeback effort come up short late in the fourth quarter.
Miami’s shooting, in particular, was a large reason they couldn’t steady the ship. They attempted 45 shots from behind the arc and connected on only 14. Kendrick Nunn and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson both struggled, combining for just 5 points on 1-of-12 shooting from the field.
Playing so shoddy from deep against the Celtics will likely yield the same result, one head coach Erik Spoelstra and this team would prefer to avoid. That being said, a look at three things to watch when Miami and Boston square off in Tuesday’s primetime matchup:
Another Change to the Starting Lineup?
Coach Spoelstra surprised fans when he opted for a new starting lineup in their restart opener against the Denver Nuggets. He inserted Jae Crowder in for Meyers Leonard and pushed Bam Adebayo down to the starting center. Could he change things up again ahead of Tuesday?
Starting point guard Kendrick Nunn has struggled to start things off. In the two games Miami’s played thus far he’s gone for just 13 points and four assists combined. We’ve seen him be a more aggressive and effective scorer throughout the season, but he may need a reminder.
If Spoelstra was to toy with Miami’s starting lineup, it’s likely he opts to bench Nunn, and not for who you’re thinking. Goran Dragic’s played well this year and was once the Heat’s starting point guard, but is proven better off as the team’s sixth man and second unit scoring punch.
The only other ball handler on deck would be rookie guard Tyler Herro. He’s had opportunities to serve as the point guard on the floor at times when the Heat’s rotation has been thin due to injury. Could Spoelstra run him out with the starting five to try and motivate Nunn?
Can Derrick Jones Jr Crack the Rotation?
While Meyers Leonard has been notably absent from the Heat’s first two games, fans are more upset that Derrick Jones Jr has seen little to no playing time despite his defensive versatility.
Even in a tight-knit game like Monday afternoon’s bout with the Raptors, it’s hard to see why the 23-year old swingman was on the floor for all of 17 seconds. He’s limited offensively and the Heat were looking for a scoring answer, but he likely could have helped to stop the bleeding on defense.
Jones is averaging both a block and a steal and a half per 36 minutes this season for Miami. The Celtics’ wing rotation is dangerous with Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward. Giving Jones a shot against Boston wouldn’t be a bad idea for Spoelstra and company.
Will Bam Adebayo Take Advantage of Celtics’ Bigs?
There is no better way to beat this Boston team than by letting Bam Adebayo loose. The Celtics’ big man rotation isn’t known for their defense, and he should be able to capitalize early.
Adebayo had a quiet but effective game against the Raptors: 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 28 minutes of action. Toronto effectively schemed against the big man and Robinson, arguably Miami’s two most dangerous weapons on offense.
In the Heat’s first matchup with the Celtics this year, they lost by 19 while Butler put up 37. Adebayo recorded only nine field-goal attempts and finished with eight points.
But in their second game against Boston, where they lost only by nine, he finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. It seems a more effective strategy to deploy Adebayo against the Celtics big men rotation will only get them closer to a win on Tuesday.
The Miami Heat haven’t been able to pull out a win over the Boston Celtics in two matchups thus far this season. Going into Tuesday night, they’ll be looking to change that. Tip-off is at 6:30 pm est. Coverage will be provided by TNT and TNT overtime.