Successful On the Road!

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        The Miami Heat have turned their season around after having a 1-4 start. After losing four straight, the Heat made adjustments to make sure their season doesn't plummet so soon. Miami Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, made a huge change in the starting lineup putting Haywood Highsmith at the starting Power Forward spot. Highsmith has shown significant offensive improvements compared to last season and he has blended well with the rest of the starting unit. 



        The Heat would have their first game of the new NBA In-Season Tournament against the Washington Wizards and would come out on top (Heat 121, Wizards 114). Tyler Herro had a great game scoring 24 points shooting 9 of 17 from the field (53%) and 4 for 7 from 3-point range (57%), 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals. Miami's other great shooter, Duncan Robinson, was on fire scoring 18 points shooting 7 of 11 from the field (64%) and 4 for 8 from 3-point range (50%), 1 rebound, 6 assists and a steal. The Heat got back in the winning column and would take on next the Los Angeles Lakers. 



        Against the Lakers, both teams went back and forth and the game was full on runs. The game eventually came down to the wire and the Heat survived after Cam Reddish missed a 3-point shot to win the game (Heat 108, Lakers 107). It's matchups like these that we see more effort out of Jimmy Butler and he definitely showed great effort on both ends of the court. Butler went off scoring 28 points shooting 9 of 15 from the field (60%) and 3 of 4 from 3-point range (75%), 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. The Heat would then go on a four-game road trip. 



        The road trip begins at Memphis where the Heat took on the Grizzlies who had a heavy depleted roster. In the first quarter Tyler Herro suffered an ankle injury after landing on Jaren Jackson Jr's foot and would not return. The Heat would survive without Herro (Heat 108, Grizzlies 102) and we saw great contributions from the supporting cast. Jaime Jaquez Jr, the rookie, showed a lot of confidence on the court including a corner 3-point shot to officially put the game out of reach. Jaquez Jr scored 11 points shooting 4 of 5 from the field (80%) and 1 for 1 from 3-point range (100%), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. It was later announced that Tyler Herro was diagnosed with a Grade 2 ankle sprain and would be out for at least a couple weeks. 


        The Heat would make their next stop to Atlanta to take on the Hawks and would be without the services of Jimmy Butler due to personal reasons. From beginning to end the Heat were playing excellent defense and got out of the A with a win (Heat 117, Hawks 109). The Hawks' backcourt did score 20+ in this game but on bad efficiency. Bam Adebayo, the new Heat captain, led the way scoring 26 points shooting 9 of 12 from the field (75%), 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Bam has taken the next leap and is leading vocally and by example. 


        The Heat would fly out to San Antonio the very next day to take on Wemby and the Spurs. Jimmy Butler did make his return after not playing in Atlanta against the Hawks. The Heat were just struggling offensively for most the game and it seemed like they could not buy a bucket to save their lives. At one point the Heat were down by as many as 19 points. However the Heat do not quit easily and somehow found their way back into the game. 


        Duncan Robinson had a stinker game against the Hawks going 1 for 10 from 3-point range but he redeemed himself against the Spurs. Duncan was on fire scoring 26 points, shooting 8 of 16 from the field (50%) and 4 for 7 from 3-point range (57%), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Duncan has found his rhythm again after a couple rough seasons where offensively he could not get going and was a liability on the defensive end. The Heat won the game (Heat 118, Spurs 113) and would make their final stop of the road trip in Charlotte which will be their second In-Season Tournament game. 



        The Heat finished their road trip against the Charlotte Hornets and would complete the sweep on this four-game road trip (Heat 111, Hornets 105). While Jimmy and Bam had impressive games, the man that stood out was starting Power Forward Haywood Highsmith. Highsmith continues to show excellent improvements on the offensive end, scoring 12 points shooting 5 of 8 from the field (63%) and 2 for 5 from 3-point range (40%). Of course seeing his offense improve is great but his defense continues to remain strong and it showed as he finished the game with 5 steals and 2 blocks. Highsmith mentioned in his postgame interview how he was aspirations to make NBA All-Defense and while he certainly has a case, he also has a case to be a Most Improved Player candidate. The Heat head back home for a one-game homestead against the Nets and get back on the road for their next five games. 
Location: Miami, FL, USA

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