The Miami Heat took care of their business in the game and in the series over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Jimmy Butler came away banged up though.
The Miami Heat came into Monday’s Game Four matchup against the Indiana Pacers with an opportunity to close out the series early. Looking for the all too evasive series sweep, the Miami Heat would give themselves a chance to watch their potential competitors play a Game Five in their series.
No matter who the opposing team might be, either the Orlando Magic or the more than likely Milwaukee Bucks, having them be a bit more fatigued can only be a good thing for the Miami Heat’s chances.
The Heat were able to get the job done. The game was one that provoked the always NBA coaching candidate and current NBA analyst, Stan Van Gundy, to say it reminded him of a game from the ’90s.
He was right and mainly due to the Miami Heat’s lack of usual prolific shooting. They went 8-30 from three, 26.7 percent, while Duncan Robinson only made one of seven shots from deep.
You need him to not have these types of games moving forward, having at least two of them in this series but fortunately, the Miami Heat were able to keep the Pacers at 87 total points. That allowed them to get away with a cold night shooting.
The Miami Heat had the chance to sweep the Pacers Monday and they did. They did leave the victory with a small loss though.
Another thing that hampered the Miami Heat on Monday was Jimmy Butler‘s lack of usual activity. At the beginning of the game, after playing less than five minutes, he went inexplicably absent.
We eventually found out it was a shoulder strain and even though listed as questionable up until that point, he did return in the second half. He wasn’t his usual self though and you could see him favoring or protecting the left shoulder.
Well, Butler just lifted both arms to take that charge. https://t.co/bEubnmmd6i
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) August 25, 2020
All in all, it wasn’t that huge of a deal today, but it will be if it bothers him to the point of severely impacting his performance moving forward. Let’s hope that it’s something that a few days of rest can help him get over.
Monday also saw the return of Kendrick Nunn. You would think it was a necessary play due to the aforementioned Jimmy Butler absence and shoulder issue.
Either way, Nunn came in and gave quality minutes. He finished with seven points, two assists, and three rebounds in only 14 minutes. He will be called on again, so it’s good to see him staying ready.
Again, the Miami Heat await the winner of the Magic/Bucks series and we will be keeping a close eye on it. Also again, let’s hope Jimmy Butler’s shoulder isn’t serious and/or has the time it needs to get right because we need it to be.