The Miami Heat are still flying high. They can do no wrong in their last two contests.
Well, not a ton of wrong, anyway.
A game after Bam Adebayo hit a buzzer beating game winner against the Brooklyn Nets, he sat out with knee soreness and watched his team win another important game. The Heat were battling hard until the third quarter, where they used a big run to take control against the Houston Rockets and complete the season sweep.
The team used a barrage of threes in the third quarter to blow the game open after a competitive first half. Kendrick Nunn was key during the pivotal stretch in the third quarter, finishing with a, team high, 30 points.
Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson both chipped in 19 points.
The Miami Heat might be on to something again from deep range
Andre Igoudala and Dewayne Dedmon also stood out for their efficient and stable play down the stretch, especially on defense. Dedmon has proven to be a good addition to the team so far and has already seemed to gain Coach Spoelstra’s respect.
Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Tyler Herro (foot) also sat out of Monday’s contest. Jimmy Butler was questionable before the game, but is hopefully able to return soon. The same goes for Tyler Herro, who has been dealing with a nagging injury to his right foot for the last few games as well.
After Monday’s win, the Heat are still in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. In order for them to avoid the play-in tournament, they need to move up in the standings.
Currently, the Knicks and Celtics hold a one game lead over the Heat for the fifth spot. Along with attaining that seed, getting healthy should be among the team’s priorities.
Even though they won the game easily on Monday, Wednesday night against San Antonio should be a much tougher matchup. Even though April has been a miserable month for the Spurs too, they are still situated as the 10th seed out west and are also playing hard to try to make the play in tournament.
That will be another interesting contest, but if the Heat can play like they did on Monday, they’ll be just fine.