The sky seemingly falling around his team amid a four-game losing streak that felt twice as long, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went into Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings noting, “I think this is the perfect team for us to play against.”
He was referring to the Kings’ relentless style.
But he might as well have been alluding to the greater reality of the Kings entering 21 games below .500, with one victory over a winning team since Feb. 9, and without De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Richaun Holmes.
So make it a one-game winning streak, with a 123-100 decision over the Kings at FTX Arena.
“We really needed that,” guard Max Strus. “It was getting really dark around here.”
On a night Spoelstra changed his starting lineup and shook up his rotation, it was clear the Heat were looking for something better.
So Strus started in place of Duncan Robinson, and the comebacks of Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris were put on hold.
“These are tough decisions and there’s a lot of different things that could work,” Spoelstra said. “We just felt, at this time, at this particular time, that these moves may clean up some things with the rotation. But those aren’t easy things.”
This time, the Heat made sure to keep their foot on the gas against a shorthanded opponent, something not the case last week in losses to the Philadelphia 76ers (who were without Joel Embiid and James Harden), Golden State Warriors (without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green) and New York Knicks (lacking Julius Randle).
With road games against the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors now to follow, the last thing the Heat needed in tow was a losing streak.
So Jimmy Butler led the way with 27 points, Tyler Herro added 20 and Bam Adebayo offered a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double.
“We made a few tweaks,” Butler said, “and got back to being who we are.”
Five Degrees of Heat from Monday’s game:
1. Rotation twist: Strus not only started in place of Robinson, but there was a decided remix with the rotation.
While Herro continued as sixth man, Robinson and Dewayne Dedmon then followed off the bench.
After that, it was Gabe Vincent rounding out the primary nine-man rotation. Vincent was back after missing the previous four games with a toe bruise.
That put the comebacks of Oladipo and Morris on hold, with those two held out even with Caleb Martin sidelined by a bruised calf.
“It looked good,” Butler said of the changes, “because we were back to having fun.”
Oladipo and Morris were the only two available players not to play.
“We have a roster full of proven capable guys, and we’re going to need everybody,” Spoelstra said. “But for this particular time, we had to do some things, and we’ll just keep an open mind to what we need to do going forward.”
Strus closed with eight points, with Robinson scoring 15, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers.
“I’m pretty comfortable playing with anybody,” Robinson said. “At this point of the season, we’re all pretty comfortable playing with each other.”
2. Adebayo attack: With the Kings without Holmes and Alex Len, Adebayo took advantage of the matchup in the middle, reaching his double-double late in the second quarter and standing with 12 points and 11 rebounds at halftime.
It was Adebayo’s first double-double since March 12, going the next six games without one. He leads the Heat with 26.
“My food is going to taste better tonight, in my opinion,” Adebayo said of snapping the losing streak. “It felt like we dropped four we could have won.”
3. Three throws: Butler not only produced his first game this season with at least three 3-pointers, but all three came over the first half of the third quarter.
Butler’s first 3-pointer was the 550th of his career.
Butler had shot 0 for 3 on 3-pointers in his seven-point performance in Saturday night’s blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets, when he closed 2 of 9 from the field.
“Everybody’s on my tail all the time about shoot more threes,” Butler said. “Who knows? Might be coming soon. But they were looking for me,”
This time, Butler finished 10 of 14 from the field and 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, adding eight assists and five rebounds.
“He was in a lot of places where he can be successful and effective,” Spoelstra said.
4. Spoelstra back: Spoelstra was back after missing Saturday’s loss to the Nets due to a medical procedure for one of his two young sons.
He studied the loss to Brooklyn on Sunday, but said he also maintained perspective.
“I don’t think it’s been an easy ride for anybody in this league, except for maybe Phoenix,” he said. “But everybody else has been going through stretches where they’re trying to figure it out and improve and work on some things. And that’s where we are right now.”
5. The in crowd: So what did Jim Larrañaga do a day after his Hurricanes were eliminated in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament by Kansas in Chicago? Take in Heat-Kings.
The Heat offered a second-quarter tribute to Larrañaga, who, of course, raised hands to flash the requisite U.
“What an absolute basketball junkie. I love him,” Spoelstra said. “I absolutely love him, not to go on vacation, not to think about anything else, go on a recruiting trip, but to enjoy a basketball game.
“That’s a guy I can relate to. I like Coach L. I wish I could spend more time with him.”
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