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Thursday 12 January 2023

Heat still believing a 2nd-half run is possible this season

By TIM REYNOLDS last season that a deep
AP Basketball Writer playoff run is possible. But
MIAMI (AP) — The start- with a 22-20 record one
ing lineup changes al- game into the season’s
most daily. The leading second half, and stuck in
scorer has various aches the No. 8 spot in the East,
and pains, the leading re- the Heat also know that it’s
bounder has a bad wrist, time to start putting wins
the assist leader is dealing together.
with knee soreness and “It’s the start of the second
the team’s 3-point record- season,” coach Erik Spoel-
holder is wearing a cast on stra said Tuesday after a
his shooting hand. 112-111 win over Oklaho-
Plus, almost every game ma City.
comes down to the final “I feel something. I think
moments. And most re- the locker room feels
cently, the best night of something. But we also
free-throw shooting in NBA have to prove it. We know
history was what was re- that. A lot of it just ends up
quired to pull out a one- being talk at this point. But
point win. we feel encouraged. Even
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) attempts a shot during final seconds of the second half of There’s still a belief within with all the moving parts
an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Miami. the Miami Heat a team and injuries and missed
Associated Press that had the best record games, we feel like some-
in the Eastern Conference thing is happening.”
It’s been one step forward,
one step back all season
for the Heat. They had a
season-best four-game
winning streak in Decem-
ber, a season-worst four-
game losing streak in No-
vember. They didn’t get
to the .500 mark for the first
time until the 30th game
and their current spot two
games over .500 matches
their best of the season.
They’re up to 18 different
starting lineups this sea-
son, seven in their last nine
games. Jimmy Butler leads
Miami in scoring; he has
missed time with a knee
injury and had an aching
wrist on Tuesday, when the
Heat went an NBA-record
40 for 40 from the foul line,
with Butler making 23 of
those shots.
“I think that’s what I signed
up for, to be able to play
at a high level no matter
who we have alongside
each other,” Butler said.
“I don’t have the hard job.
Spo does. He’s got try to
mix and match guys, make
guys feel comfortable
while trying to tell them
where to be on the floor,
and how to run what play,
when to run what play. It’s
a lot going on.”
Bam Adebayo missed the
game with a bad wrist,
Kyle Lowry with a balky
knee, Tyler Herro with a
sore Achilles and Caleb
Martin with a quadriceps
strain. q