Getty Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat is introduced prior to the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Arena on January 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
The Miami Heat have been banged up and counted out all year but among all the negativity, one constant remains true: Jimmy Butler is a superstar.
Following another otherworldly performance in the fourth quarter, head coach Erik Spoelstra ran out of superlatives for the team (league?) MVP. Butler erupted for 10 points in crunch time, accounting for more than a third of he Heat’s 29 fourth-quarter points. He also added two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in the final frame.
“Look, at the end of the day that’s what great players do, they are competitors, winners,” Spoelstra said. “He puts his imprint on the game and it comes down to a series of winning plays that put you in a position to come out of it with a W.”
I know it’s happened in MLB, but anyone have the numbers on the amount of NBA players to not make the All-Star game and then win the MVP?
Asking for, I mean, you know
Butler finished with 27 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds in a 111-103 win over the Orlando Magic. Ironically, it was pay back for the team that handed the Heat a loss on opening day.
“It means everything, that’s why we play, to win obviously,” Butler said of the victory. “It’s a step in the right direction. We have another good team coming up next, gotta show up, show out, get the win on the road.”
Next up, a road date with the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at 9 p.m. The Heat will have to do it all over again, without Bam Adebayo. The star center is nursing a bum knee and won’t travel with the team, per Spoelstra.
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Everybody Trying to ‘Pull’ Adebayo’s Weight
Adebayo first injured his knee on March 2 against the Atlanta Hawks and the Heat have been taking a cautious approach with him. He only scored 11 points in that game while struggling to contain Hawks big men John Collins and Clint Capela.
Obviously, something was bothering him then and continues to bother him now. The Heat know they need their one-time All-Star center back to accomplish the goals they set forth.
“Bam means so much to us. I think everybody is trying to pull his weight which is very hard to do because he does so many things well on the basketball floor,” Butler said. “The game’s tremendously easy when he’s out there. You can’t match it but as we go on the road we might have to put out a couple more [games without him], I don’t know. I haven’t heard. But with or without Bam we’re expected to win.”
Erik Spoelstra says neither Bam Adebayo (knee) nor Avery Bradley (calf) will travel for Friday night’s game in Chicago.
Spoelstra chose to give increased minutes to Chris Silva and Moe Harkless in Adebayo’s absence on Thursday night, rather than throw rookie Precious Achiuwa into the fire. The move says a lot about the trust he has in the Heat’s number one draft pick, althoug the head coach cautioned not to read too much into one game’s lineup combinations.
“They both [Silva, Harkless] bring things that we like, and we’re taking out a guy right now [Adebayo] that’s playing anywhere from 35-40 minutes a night for us so there’s going to be different combinations,” Spoelstra said. “It might not be the same exact combination each and every night but those guys just have to be ready to contribute in whatever short bursts and skirmishes they have.”
Heat Interested in PJ Tucker?
The trade rumors continue to swirl around P.J. Tucker after multiple reports claimed the Houston Rockets are ready to move on from him. They are listening to trade offers from the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Reporting w/ @espn_macmahon: As Rockets continue to discuss deals with several teams, P.J. Tucker is a healthy scratch vs. Kings and remains frustrated that he hasn’t been moved to a contender, sources said. It’s unclear when Tucker will return to lineup before March 25 deadline.
The Rockets have had several concurrent trade discussions with teams in recent weeks involving Tucker, talks that are expected to result in a deal for Tucker prior to the March 25 trade deadline, sources said.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets are among teams that have discussed possible deals with the Rockets in recent weeks, sources said.
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