On Monday night, the Miami Heat defeated the Houston Rockets 120-113 to defend their home court. Miami used their experience and camaraderie against a young team missing several important players, and they outplayed the Rockets from the opening tip. In order to gradually understand how this squad will gel over the course of the season, head coach Erik Spoelstra experimented with a variety of lineups and found success.
Kevin Love is the game ball.
Kevin Love was the team’s X-factor even though Tyler Herro led Miami in scoring with 28 points. He was utilized as a point-forward to help ignite the Heat’s attack, and he had a strong performance overall. Love had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists at the end of the game.
Not only did he perform well as the backup center, but he also performed well while Bam Adebayo was playing. Love demonstrated the value he brings to this club when Spoelstra put his trust in him to exploit Houston’s top-five defense.
“Veteran guys like Kevin, who have relevant experience and the ability to read a multitude of different coverages and nuances, are exactly what you need,” Spoelstra remarked. “If groups are attempting something novel, such as switching, as you observed this evening. He simply manages to take advantage of it nonetheless thanks to his stature, intelligence, and scoring prowess.”
The veteran gave a high-IQ performance. He knew when to choose his spots offensively and never overreacted in baited matchups. Even against a Rockets squad that enjoys picking up the tempo, Love played the game at his own pace.
30 assists was the game’s stat.
Miami distributed the wealth throughout the lineup with 30 assists by the end of the game. Six players scored in double digits for them, with two of them going over 20 points. Although Herro and Adebayo were usually the top scorers, Miami was also able to get spurts of shooting from a few other players.
A guy like Nikola Jovic contributed six assists, and Duncan Robinson tied his career high with seven. For the Heat, Jovic had an outstanding first half. In only the first 12 minutes, he had four assists and seven rebounds.
The team appeared to be more trusting on Monday. In the locker room, a sense of familiarity with the players and the strategy is growing. The Heat have taken some time to acclimate this season due to injuries and new players entering the roster, but Spoelstra and company appear to be finding their groove.
“That just has to be a continued habit” is the game’s quote.
Spoelstra discussed Miami’s progress during a bumpy road trip. Although the Heat have been a rather inconsistent club, Spoelstra is still searching for a solution.
Our morning shift began this morning. On that road trip, we had a couple of disappointing games. Specifically, we weren’t playing at our best offensively in a few of those games,” Spoelstra stated. “It was happening straight away, and it was lot better. That simply needs to be a consistent practice.”
The offense flowed easily against the Rockets even though Miami’s starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, was out for the majority of the contest. After 16 minutes, Lowry departed the game due to what appeared to be a serious hand injury. However, Spoelstra stated that the X-ray was negative, and the Heat later declared that Lowry’s injury was a left-hand strain.
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