Tyler Herro was rusty for a quarter but picked up where he left off from last season as a gunslinger. He said postgame that he could have easily waited two more weeks to come back, but that Monday was circled on the calendar.

He wants to come into the starting five and let those guys be themselves, but one of them is probably getting benched. It’s hard to imagine coach Erik Spoelstra being thrilled about having to demote one of the guys who has been a big part of the team defying early expectations, especially when he talked about enjoying it a bit after winning in Philadelphia on Sunday. Keep in mind, they find themselves on a 54-win pace. 

Herro will also be getting a lot of crunch-time minutes over others, which will test the group’s unity. It’s one thing for everyone to say the right things publicly, and it’s another when there is another player who needs touches and is eating into a system established by others.

Off the bat, Adebayo and Wiggins aren’t going anywhere because they are athletic two-way players, and Powell has been the top dog in the scoring department, so he isn’t either. This leaves Davion Mitchell and Kel’el Ware to choose from. 

Mitchell is logging a sparkling 4.89 assist-to-turnover ratio. He may be short for a hooper, but he’s built like a football player, so he’s not a small guard. He’s become his best self as a slasher and cutter in the paint’s in-between area (3-10 feet) and is a dependable point-of-attack defender. He hasn’t missed any nights, and his starting record is the same as the team’s this season (12-6).

Kel’el Ware had some rough moments, but he had made amends by turning into Superman lite and hasn’t had below 14 rebounds in the last five outings. His record as a starter is 10-4, and the team is 6-2 when Bam Adebayo and him start together. Yet it may be Ware who slides to sixth man. 

The Heat have bought into playing fast and are first in pace (106.14) and first in average speed offensively (5.24). An initial lineup of Mitchell, Herro, Powell, Wiggins and Adebayo would be smaller, yet it would lean into the speed. Don’t count on monstrous fastbreak numbers like Pat Riley’s Lakers had, but this could be Spoelstra’s version of Showtime. Not even those Big Three teams that won back-to-back titles were higher than 16th in pace, and the Jimmy Butler-led squads were never above 27th (2019-20).

Herro can be hidden by guarding the corner man or the player with the weakest handle who isn’t a big. He would be next to four good-to-great defenders. 

Ware will still get minutes with Adebayo, but using him off the bench could turn into a serious advantage, facing off against other reserves or tired starters. 

Ware was given a taste of what will one day be his spot. Don’t forget that Adebayo and Herro didn’t become full-time starters until years three and four because Spoelstra isn’t into premature rewards. In the meantime, if he becomes a part of the bench mob, starring in his role will get him plenty of minutes and paid the big bucks when it’s contract negotiation time. 

The Heat survived the 76ers, thanks to its strong bench play, locking up the glass and four players scoring between 18 and 32 digits, closing out their two-game road trip undefeated. They sped away each time their hosts got within striking distance and have now won eight of their last 10. 

With Tyler Herro out but nearing a return, and Bam Adebayo having missed six games in a row earlier in the month, the team has to feel very grateful for its 11-6 record as Thanksgiving approaches. 

Another hot start for Norman Powell ended with a glittering stat line: 32 points on 61.1% shooting, with four rebounds and one assist, and they even fouled him thrice on 3-point attempts. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue must want to flip over a desk whenever he thinks back to how his team traded him for a bag of chips, or how he played him below 27 minutes per game for two seasons.

The Heat’s assault was too much to handle, scoring 21 of their first 37 points in the lane.  They also logged at least 70 first-half points for the sixth time this season. A good chunk of the action was Jaime Jaquez Jr.s post ups and drives plus Kel’el Ware’s interior takes over, to go along with six offensive rebounds.

Their 3-point shooting and interior efficiency cooled off in the third quarter after reaching a 14-point lead, and they subsequently went into the fourth quarter up six. Then Jaquez plus Powell ripped to the cup for five baskets, and Adebayo buried two floaters  while they denied Philadelphia almost everything outside of three feet from the hoop. 

The Heat won 127-117 and set a new season high in rebounding (58).

Coach Erik Spoelstra is going to smell the roses a little bit. “I don’t think anybody two months ago thought we’d be sitting third in the East. It’s not everything, but it’s something. I want our guys to enjoy it.”

Game Notes

• Philadelphia’s 3-point shooting fell apart in the second half, converting 26.3% of attempts. Tyrese Maxey remained their biggest threat, spraying jumpers and bolting to the rim. 

• The Heat have an advantage because they get good playmaking at all times. Davion Mitchell had 12 assists against one turnover, Pelle Larsson had eight dimes with two turnovers, and Jaquez had seven helpings with four turnovers off the bench. It adds a bit more to the offense when they share the court, as they are strong paint attackers and adept passers. 

• Ware and Adebayo combined for 29 rebounds, and 11 were offensive. On top of that, the bench had 43 points, 22 of them from Jaquez, against Philly’s reserves, who dropped 44. 

• The Heat totaled 72 paint points, tying their second-most of the season. They are 4-0 when scoring at least 70 in the lane. 

• The Heat’s biggest concern was missing 10 free throw attempts. Notably Powell, who is a 90% free-throw shooter, missed three. Larsson makes 82.9% and he missed three, too. 

The Warriors’ visit to Kaseya Center was a tuneup for the Heatles, not having to deal with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Even on a night when Norman Powell was dormant until the fourth quarter, it went unlike the loss at home against the Cavaliers, who were down three starters on Nov. 13. 

The hosts got Bam Adebayo back after he missed six straight games, and he scored 20 points on jumpers and on rim attacks. After the game, he said he felt good and was “Just trying to find a rhythm, not overdo it, and let the game come to me.”

Despite going cold and losing the ball five times by the end of the first quarter, the Heat led by nine because they got multiple baskets from Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson, plus the Warriors missed their first 12 shots, being unable to bend coverages.

The Heat’s carelessness continued as their turnover count hit nine, and the Warriors closed the gap, spraying them with a 14-2 run. Adebayo got his crew somewhat back on track, scoring on a baseline drive and making a floater on the left side through contact.

The Heat went to halftime ahead 49-45, while their half-court offense was in the gutter, scoring 74.4 points per 100 plays, good enough for the fourth percentile. Their other issues were being down on the glass by six, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. plus Simone Fontecchio, two of the team’s ignitable reserves, combined for only 12 points on 25% shooting.

Subsequently, Golden State’s coverage, including a zone, was effective in slowing down the Heat to three makes in 13 tries in the lane. They also took their first lead of the game halfway through the third quarter as the Heat had their worst defensive stretch. Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “We’ll continue to get more comfortable. I was more uncomfortable with some of the decisions and semi-transition, or against their man [coverage].”

Yet Miami was able to survive because Powell erupted for 17 points in the fourth on deep jumpers and drive-bys. Adebayo also scored seven in a row to put the game out of reach. 

The Heat won 110-96. In spite of the Heat getting out rebounded by 10, and their attack being neutralized, they contained Golden State’s half-court offense to 76.1 points per 100 plays, good enough for the sixth percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. Powell said Adebayo’s presence had a “really big effect,” and that, “Having him on the floor kind of controlling the defense was huge for us. We definitely missed him, and we’re glad to have him back.”

Other notes:

• Second-year player Pelle Larsson had sixth game in the last seven nights scoring in double figures. He’s making it impossible for Spoelstra to shelve him when Tyler Herro returns.

• Jaquez had a poor night in the scoring department, shooting 33.3%, but impacted the game more as a playmaker, racking up seven dimes, the most on the team, against two giveaways.

• Kel’el Ware went back to bench because Adebayo returned, and he had a big night on the glass, recovering 16 rebounds in 19 minutes. Spoelstra said, “I think Kel’el was really good tonight. Adebayo was complimentary of him after the game.

The Heat were upset by the Cavaliers on Vice Night because they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter, couldn’t guard without fouling, and were careless with the ball, turning it over 21 times. The visitors, minus three starters (Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley), deployed their eighth starting lineup in 12 games, and they made 72.7% of shots in the lane in the final stretch.

Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “This will be a lesson not for this weekend, but having that maturity, that edge to treat it with the same urgency as the other night.”

The understudy, Kel’el Ware, outplayed Jarrett Allen in the first quarter with rim attacks, a corner trey and two freebies, while providing sharp back-line help. Additionally, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell buried close and long-range baskets, pushing the Heat to a 38-29 lead at the end of first period. Yet the first signs of the Heat’s impending doom were five turnovers.

Then Cleveland’s 11th man in minutes, Craig Porter Jr., started carrying them with long-range strikes and piercing the heart of the defense with jabs and kickouts. The Heat also got careless with the ball, turning it over four extra times, and went cold because Cleveland upped the intensity guarding in transition and partly due to some missed open shots. The Cavs even tied the game with 15 seconds left in the half, but Norman Powell reclaimed the lead going into halftime (69-66), slicing past Allen to cup for the basket plus the foul.

At intermission, the Heat’s double-digit scorers were Powell (17) and Simone Fontecchio (10). Their transition offense was in the mud, too, but they were significantly better in the half-court, scoring 102.7 points per 100 plays. 

In the third quarter, Miami kept ramming into the paint, making eight shots, but seven more turnovers and quick baskets off them allowed the Cavaliers to hang around.”We were able to extend the lead to double digits, but I feel like we took our foot off the gas,” Powell said.

The fourth quarter started with the Heat ahead 97-93, but they committed their fourth foul of the period two minutes in, and Cleveland took their first lead on a drive from Luke Travers. Coach Erik Spoelstra summoned his troops shortly after, but they couldn’t crack Cleveland’s code, and he was forced to call another stoppage with half the quarter left as they fell behind by 10. 

Allen was the best big man on the floor and sprayed four shots in Miami’s interior in the fourth quarter. Aside from that, the Heat only made five in the paint (out of 13), and they also allowed the Cavs to be the nastier team heading to the finish line.

The Heat lost 130-116 after getting outscored by 18 in the fourth, despite the Cavaliers making only 18.2% of their 3-point attempts late. Powell was the team’s only scorer in double figures in the second half (10).

Jaquez said, “We’re going to take this as a learning experience.”

Despite 19 lead changes and 11 ties, the undermanned Heat took out the Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back, improving to 6-4. Seven Heatles scored in double figures, and Nikola Jović had his best showing in a Heat uniform, setting a new career high of 29 points.

Coach Erik Spoelstra elaborated on some of the strategy post-game, saying,  “I’m managing the heck out of the spacing, to create those drives. But I’m not putting the brakes on anyone who is attacking.”

Portland’s length gave Miami trouble early, not permitting easy access into the lane and they forced Spoelstra to call the first timeout after taking a 15-3 lead. The Heat didn’t recalibrate until Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the bench crew came in, and they prevented the team from early embarrassment with multiple drive-bys and five steals, including a pick-6 in opposing territory, cutting the deficit to three going into the second quarter.

Rebounding out of the zone against bigger rivals was a struggle, and high-enough pick-up points weren’t set on shooters, but they made up for it, forcing six extra turnovers. The Heat also converted 77% of attempts in the period with near-immaculate shooting in the lane from punching the accelerator in transition and ripping up the half-court.

The Heatles went to intermission ahead 72-65 after making only one shot in their first 15 attempts. Nikola Jović led them in assists (6), and their double-digit scorers were Dru Smith (10), Andrew Wiggins (12) and Pelle Larsson (10).

Subsequently, Deni Avdija plus Jrue Holiday’s rim attacks sullied schemes, but Toumani Camara walking into triple forced the first stoppage of the half. Jaquez checked in, and the Heat regained control just like in the first half off transition strikes and setting up teammates, including a lob to Kel’el Ware.

The fourth quarter started with the Heat ahead 100-97, and 10 lead changes followed. Shaedon Sharpe sliced into lane thrice, and Avdija buried a trey. But Jović stepped up for the Heat, making two 3-pointers and two close-range baskets on the move. Jaquez joked in the locker room that Jović should have dropped 30.

In the latter stages of the fourth, Jerami Grant fouled out, and Clingan checked in, and the Heat’s strategy was briefly using Wiggins at the five before switching back to Jović at the next substitution. The Heat were then up five points with under a minute left, and got bailed out by Holiday missing a triple after Jaquez bit on his pump fake and they doubled at the arc. The final nail in Portland’s coffin was Avdija taking a shot at the rim instead of pulling up from deep.

The Heat won 136-131. They had an advantage in paint points (72-68) and were able to slow down the Trail Blazers in the half-court to 77.5 points per 100 possessions, good enough for the Cleaning the Glass.