The Miami Heat are known for their intensity and defense. That’s a year in and year out thing, regardless of who is on the roster or not.
Well, as it just so happens, they have a few of the best defenders at their position on their roster this season as well. When it comes to small forwards, Jimmy Butler has long been one of the top two-way defenders in the league .
When it comes to point guards, Kyle Lowry‘s status and characteristic as a bulldog is, not only, indicative of his ability to put his head down and muscle to the rim but also his ability to lock down on the defensive side of the ball.
Bam Adebayo is a marvel to behold on both sides of the ball when he gets going, but especially on defense.
The Miami Heat were challenged on Friday night by the Hornets. However, they would be the ones doing the stinging in the end.
Not only is he big and strong enough to contain the biggest of big men that the NBA has to offer, but he is quick and nimble enough to guard the league’s elite perimeter players.
It’s a proven fact. Just ask Kevin Durant.
With a whole slew of guys along the roster that have committed to locking the rest of the league down, not to mention P.J. Tucker, the Miami Heat are off to a great start. That start continued with an impressive win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
For a team leading the entire league in scoring, speaking of the Charlotte Hornets coming into the game at about 121 points per contest, the Miami Heat were able to hold them to about a third of their average production across a half of production time.
Basically, the Miami Heat were imposing their defensive will. The Hornets would try to close the gap in the infamous third quarter, but the Miami Heat’s defense and timely shot-making would win out, 114-99, holding the Hornets below the century mark.
Hopefully, they can do the same thing on Saturday night. Facing off against one of the league’s tops scorers in Ja Morant, it’s sure to be a challenge.