Miami set to go on the road looking to win 4 straight and go 7 games above .500 for the first time this season.
Game Story:
After a wild finish in Miami last night where the Heat secured a walk off win, they now go on the road to play the in-state rival Orlando Magic. Orlando is sitting at 13th place in the East and sporting a 23-33 record. Last night’s game probably shouldn’t have been as close as it was against the league’s worst team in the Houston Rockets, but nonetheless secured the win. Miami is now 31-25 and still hold the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, just 2.5 games behind the 5th seed Brooklyn Nets.
A Tyler Herro 30 point near triple double, early game dominance from Bam Adebayo, and Jimmy Butler scoring 10 of the final 13 points of the game all led to the heroic win last night.
#HEATWin final – Miami 97, Houston 95
Herro: 31pts (5 3s), 9rebs & 8asts
Adebayo: 20pts, 9rebs & 3asts
Butler: 16pts, 4rebs & 4asts
Strus: 14pts (3 3s) pic.twitter.com/mwi6SjMzbL— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 11, 2023
Herro hit a big time 3 point bucket in the corner with a little under 30 seconds left in the game, which ironically was the same exact shot he missed in clutch time against the New York Knicks last week. Butler then went on to be the recipient of a perfect inbound alley oop pass from Gabe Vincent to slam down the game winner with the game tied with .7 left on the clock. Just as much it was a great pass and catch, it was an even greater play drawn up by Erik Spoelstra and the coaching staff.
Before that final play, Tyler led the way with 31 points including a clutch 3 to give us the lead with 23 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/ogFLSdwSnI
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 11, 2023
perfect pass, perfect dunk, perfect timing, perfect execution… just perfect pic.twitter.com/MuiiToAaKk
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 11, 2023
It was a crazy finish down the stretch in an unsurprisingly “clutch game”, which 70% of Miami’s games this year have been considered as. After last night’s win, Miami has won 8 straight games at home, currently the highest home winning streak in the NBA. The Heat now shift their focus to tonight’s game against Orlando, and just like yesterday this could be yet another close one regardless of the opposing team’s record.
The Magic have young and athletic guys who are not afraid to fill it up offensively and take over games. Franz Wagner and rookie Paolo Banchero can not be slept on. The good news for the Heat heading into Orlando is that everyone who played last night should be good to go for tonight.
Heat injury report for tonight at Orlando:
Out: Kyle Lowry (knee), Udonis Haslem (personal), Nikola Jovic (back), Duncan Robinson (finger), Victor Oladipo (ankle), Omer Yurtseven (ankle).
Probable: Gabe Vincent (ankle). https://t.co/VAfjFq9j0o— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) February 11, 2023
The Heat need to focus on hitting their 3 point shots tonight. Most these games have gone down to the final minute with Miami struggling to hit their three’s on horrible efficiency. If they are somehow able to knock down a few more, it could create more separation in the score board.
Yes, these games have been exciting to watch, but it would be nice to have an occasional dominant win from start to finish especially against lower seeded teams like the Rockets last night and Magic tonight.
*Recap/ game preview posted late due to technical reasons*
Injury Report:
Heat
- Gabe Vincent, probable
- Udonis Haslem, out
- Victor Oladipo, out
- Kyle Lowry, out
- Nikola Jovic, out
- Duncan Robinson, out
- Omer Yurtseven, out
Magic
- Gary Harris, questionable
- Kevon Harris, out
- Chuma Okeke, out
- Admiral Schofield, out
- Patrick Beverley, out
Probable Starters:
Heat
- Jimmy Butler
- Caleb Martin
- Bam Adebayo
- Tyler Herro
- Gabe Vincent
Magic
- Franz Wagner
- Paolo Banchero
- Wendell Carter, Jr.
- Markelle Fultz
- Jalen Suggs
ODDS (via FanDuel)
Check the odds out at FanDuel!
Broadcast Info:
Tipoff: 7:00 PM EST
TV: Bally Sports Sun (Eric Reid, John Crotty)
Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
Come back to Hot Hot Hoops at game time to join our GameThread and chat about the game live with other Heat fans!