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Herro, Heat emphatically swat away LeBron, Lakers, 134-93

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on

Published in Basketball

MIAMI — Rarely on this court have opposing players or teams been superior to LeBron James.

Then again, rarely — in fact, not ever — have the Miami Heat put up these types of numbers.

Wednesday night’s 134-93 victory over James and the Los Angeles Lakers at Kaseya Center was that dominant and that decisive — the third-largest margin of victory in the franchise’s 37 seasons.

“We came out today with great energy and you can see what can happen,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said.

It proved to be a record night.

With Tyler Herro powering the victory with a 31-point performance that included 9-of-16 3-point shooting, the Heat not only snapped a two-game losing streak, but snapped it emphatically.

“That,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, “was a good step tonight.”

The Heat’s 24 3-pointers tied the franchise record, with their 42 assists establishing a new franchise high.

While not needed for much beyond support, Herro teammates Jimmy Butler and Adebayo did just that.

Butler closed with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, needed for just 29 minutes.

Adebayo added 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, playing just 24.

“There’s a pathway I feel, to success, greater success than we’ve had right now,” Spoelstra said.

The victory lifted the Heat back to .500, at 10-10, at the start of this four-game homestand that continues Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns.

“We just got to stick with it,” Herro said. “Being consistent is our main thing right now.”

James, who helped power the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2010 to 2014, including a pair of NBA championships, closed with 29 for the Lakers, who dropped to 12-10.

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday night’s game:

— 1. Game flow: The Heat led 34-26 at the end of the first period, after going up 14 early. The Heat then pushed their lead to 21 in the second period before emerging with a 69-52 halftime lead, their highest-scoring first half of the season.

From there, the Heat moved to a 105-72 lead at the close of the third quarter, allowing Spoelstra to sub in the likes of Dru Smith, Thomas Bryant and Keshad Johnson, with James like Butler and Adebayo watching the close from the bench.

“You could see and feel us the first six minutes,” Spoelstra said of the start setting a tone. “We’re at our best when the other team feels us.”

— 2. Locking in: After a few early wide-open misses, Herro eventually locked in.

 

At 2 of 8 from beyond the arc in the first half, Herro then converted his first five 3-point attempts of the third quarter, the fifth forcing a Lakers timeout with an 86-61 Heat lead.

At that stage, Herro had seven 3-pointers to the Lakers’ four as a team.

Herro kept going, eventually making it 7 of 7 on 3s at one point in the third, before missing his final attempt of the period.

“It kind of just happens,” Herro said of his roll, his 18 consecutive points at one stage tying Dwyane Wade’s Heat record. “I shot the same shots I shot in the first half and ended up making them.”

Not continuing to shoot was not an option, Spoelstra said.

“What I like about it,” Spoelstra said, “is he’s probably one of the best shooters on the planet — and he’s ignitable. So if you just stay with it, at any one point he can go on an avalanche.”

With the performance, Herro made it 50 consecutive games scoring in double figures. His previous longest streak had been 38.

— 3. Butler back: Butler offered another exhibit about how he can be closer to his best with multiple days off.

This time, after sitting out Monday night’s loss in Boston due to knee pain, after sustaining the injury late in Sunday’s loss in Toronto, he immediately burst out with five offensive rebounds in the first quarter.

And kept going from there.

The energy and activity continued a trend for Butler, who had a 30-point game against the 76ers following a nine-day break with ankle injury, and then a 33-point game against the Mavericks after a five-day break in the Heat’s schedule.

— 4. Aggressive intent: In the wake of Monday night’s struggle in Boston, when he closed 6 of 18 from the field, Adebayo this time opened 6 of 7 from the field, beginning his game closer to the basket, smoother with his touch.

While Adebayo has not scored more than 16 points in his past six games, this assuredly would have surpassed that total if needed.

Instead, he sat at the end, three assists shy of his second triple-double in a week,

“I just love Bam’s purity,” Spoelstra said. “Ninety percent of the league would dive into, ‘I’ve got to get my stats.’ … Bam dives into the team, ‘What can I do to help this team win?' ”

— 5. Added boost: In addition to taking undersized defensive shifts against James, Haywood Highsmith also spaced the Heat’s offense, shooting 4 of 5 on 3-pointers.

With Butler back in the mix, Spoelstra went back to the starting lineup of Butler, Herro, Adebayo, Highsmith and Duncan Robinson.

That first five is now 5-2, the Heat only starting lineup this season with a winning record.


©2024 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Visit sun-sentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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