The Heat beat the Hornets 111-105 in Charlotte and are now on a six-game win streak. The Heat are now 7-4 and tied for third in the Eastern Conference. Let’s delve deeper into this latest win.
Heat Season Companion Part Two: The Heat’s Starters Played Well Overall Against the Hornets
Most of the Heat’s starters played well against the Hornets. This is definitely encouraging to see. Jimmy Butler was the Heat’s leading scorer in this game with 32 points and he also had five assists. Butler has only averaged 20 points per game so far this season, so hopefully this game will kickstart more offensive production from him.
Bam Adebayo is starting off the season very well and that continued in this game, in which he had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Haywood Highsmith is the Heat’s new starting power forward and he has excelled in this role, scoring 12 points and getting five steals in this game.
Duncan Robinson is thankfully stepping up offensively in Tyler Herro’s absence. Robinson had 18 points and five rebounds in this game. It is great to see almost all of the Heat’s starters play well.
Jaime Jaquez Is the Only Heat Bench Player Who Played Well Against the Hornets
The contrast between the performance of the Heat’s starters and the Heat’s bench players in this game is stark. Out of all the Heat’s bench players, only Jaime Jaquez Jr. played well against the Hornets. Jaquez had 17 points and five rebounds in this game.
The Heat’s bench is far from the most productive bench unit in the league. The bench unit needs to contribute more on a consistent basis. If that doesn’t happen, the Heat should make a trade to improve their bench unit.
Heat Season Companion Part Two: The Heat’s Defense Was Good Overall Against Charlotte
As per usual, the Heat rank as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA. This is no surprise. The Hornets shot well from three-point range in this game, making 47% of their three-point attempts. However, many of these shots were difficult and would often not go in.
Additionally, the Heat forced 18 turnovers in this game against the Hornets. This is a major reason why the Heat won this game. Hopefully, the Heat can continue to force their opponents to commit many turnovers. Overall, the Heat’s defense was good against Charlotte and will likely continue to be one of the team’s strengths.
The Heat Took Care of the Ball Well and Scored Well From Everywhere Except Three-Point Range
Offensively, the Heat did pretty well in this game. The three-point shooting was quite poor at only 25%. However, the Heat took care of the ball well and only had seven turnovers. Additionally, the Heat shot 48% from the floor in this game.
This shows that the Heat scored well from everywhere except three-point range. The Heat have plenty of good shooters, so one poor three-point shooting performance is not a major cause for concern.
Zach Lavine Is Linked with a Trade to the Heat
As of right now, the Bulls are 4-8 this season. Because of this, many speculate that the Bulls will blow up their team and start a rebuild. This is certainly possible.
One player who is unlikely to remain part of the Chicago Bulls if this happens is Zach Lavine. The Heat are one of the teams linked with a trade for Zach Lavine. Lavine doesn’t seem like the best fit for the Heat, especially considering his massive contract.
Lavine and Herro are similar players, while Herro is making less money and is much younger than Lavine. Trading for Lavine doesn’t seem like the right move for the Heat. However, the Heat could benefit from trading for Alex Caruso to shore up the point guard rotation. Caruso would be a good fit in Miami.
The Heat Have a Rematch with the Nets Next
Next, the Heat will return home to Miami and play the Brooklyn Nets once again. The Nets beat the Heat earlier this season, but are still only 6-5 so far this season. The Heat are also 3-1 at home this season. I would bet that the Heat beat the Nets this time and extend their winning streak to seven games.
Check back next week for more Miami Heat content.