The Miami Heat came out hot, unrelenting until the final buzzer. The Heat have been a dominant force on the defensive end thus far. Only two teams have broken the century mark against them this year; the other team to do it took an overtime to reach that mark.
Grizzlies
Ja Morant is having an incredible year so far, but was unable to break out in Saturday night’s game. Morant shot below 40% from the field, racking up only 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds. De’Anthony Melton had 20 points including four three-pointers and five assists. Desmond Bane had 17 points off of five shots from downtown.
Heat
It was another stellar night for Jimmy Butler. Butler had 27 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. It was a highly efficient night on the offensive end while showing his defensive prowess. Tyler Herro showed us he wasn’t kidding when mentioning himself with some of the other amazing young stars in the league. Herro showed out with 22 points, five assists and six rebounds from off the bench. Both Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson had solid nights with 15 points each. Kyle Lowry also dished out eight assists.
Wire to Wire Win
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The Heat were as efficient as ever on the offensive end with an unrelenting will on the defensive side of the ball to match. The Grizzlies have been a formidable team for most of the league this year but the Heat showed they aren’t playing around this year. They’ve been the popular sleeper pick for the last few years, but this year, things have changed drastically. The younger players have matured. The additions of Tucker and Morris have proven ideal for their team’s culture and style on the floor. Bam Adebayo now has a gold medal from the Olympics; giving him much-needed experience in big games. Lowry adds another highly valued element of controlling games late in the fourth quarter; calming the team, allowing them to close out games with ease. All of this is taking heavy weight off of Jimmy Butler’s shoulders. This shift in focus for the opposing defense will only give Jimmy more opportunities to do what he does best: to bully you into submission.
Who’s Next?
The Heat head to Dallas to face the Mavericks, lead by Luka ‘The Don’ Doncic. Let’s see if their masterful play will continue against such a formidable team.