The Miami Heat's offense ignites, dominating the glass and showcasing depth in a decisive win, potentially sparking a Play-In Tournament climb.
The Miami Heat earned a 136–120 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It was the first time facing them since trading two-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. Regardless, the team found a way to stay in the win column and potentially trending towards nudging out of the Play-In Tournament.
Key takeaways from the game:
Heat; Continue to find a rhythm: After returning on Friday night, Tyler Herro was cleared for action on a second night of a back-to-back. However, the former All-Star guard struggled offensively, finishing with 14 points on 33.3 percent shooting, five rebounds, and six assists.
Herro was scoreless in the second half after playing eight minutes. He came off the bench again for precautionary reasons. However, there's still a chance that might be his role moving forward with the rest of the season, especially with the lack of availability.
Heat; More offense and less defense: The Heat have one of the best offenses in the league, but when shots aren't falling, they haven't been as consistent on defense. Despite the win, the Grizzlies finished with 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 34.1 percent from three-point range, while allowing 120.
The Heat had chances to pull away even further, but couldn't get consistent stops. The roster doesn't include many lockdown defenders besides Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, and Davion Mitchell.
It's an area that could hurt the team, especially with 24 games left in the regular season. The organization opted not to make a move from the trade deadline to address that, the only one in the Eastern Conference to make no roster changes.
Heat; Dominating the glass: As Jackson Jr. is no longer with the Grizzlies, the lack of size and paint presence was exploited. The Heat outrebounded them 57–35, with 17 coming from the offensive glass, resulting in 18 second-chance points.
Kel'el Ware led the team with 15 rebounds, including 11 points and a steal in 19 minutes off the bench.
Heat; Depth on display: Coach Erik Spoelstra hasn't worked with a fully healthy roster for the majority of the season, but came close on Saturday night, despite the absence of Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic due to injuries. Regardless, the Heat finished with 48 bench points, with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ware, and Herro reaching double-figures in scoring.
The Grizzlies finished with 42 bench points, but most of them came from GG Jackson II, who scored 28 points.
The Heat improved to a 31-27 record, seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. If they continue to win, a path out of the Play-In Tournament is more realistic.
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