Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro talked to the media about learning to play with new guard Kyle Lowry following a practice scrimmage in front of kids from the Jr. Heat program at FTX Arena on Oct. 1, 2021.
NBA basketball returned to Miami this Monday, October 4 and in the closest way to normal, even with the “dancers”, with the new Heat facing the Hawks, in the first preseason game at the FTX Arena,
And is that the new Heat with the arrival of Kyle Lowry, PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris wears a different team.
Lowry and Tucker made headlines and seemed to have been there their entire lives, alongside Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo.
Jimmy Butler, whom Miami coach Erik Spoeltra preferred to give a day off, didn’t play, neither did Victor Oladipo (injury) or Udonis Haslem (personal). Morris came from the bank with Gabe Vicent, Max Strus, and Dewayne Dedmon; although in the end they all played.
The Heat came in inspired and had no rival to take a comfortable 125-99 victory against the good team of Atlanta, in a meeting that did not seem like preseason.
Herro with 26 points, Adebayo with 14, Strus with 14 others, Robinson with 13 and Galeb Martin with 11 shone for Miami, who shot even 51.2 percent on 3s (21 of 41).
The happy note was that of Herro and his great offense, the sad one that of PJ Tucker, who withdrew with a sore groin. The two were referred to by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra in the subsequent press conference.
“Tyler [Herro] had a great offseason, a summer of work,” Spoelstra said. ” “PJ [Tucker] said he was fine, but more will be known about the severity of his possible groin injury in the coming days.”
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Miami got off to an impressive start with a great Adebayo and then came a great reaction from Atlanta that made it even 18-18. But it was Herro, with 16 points, who took the applause in the first quarter won by the Heat 33-32 with a triple by Strus almost over the horn.
Strus, Vicent and Martin, who has a two-way contract, carried the weight of the offense in the middle of the second quarter (50-44) with Dedmon and Morris more immersed in defensive tasks.
The starters stretched the lead to 10 (54-44) with a spectacular alley-oop behind Adebayo’s back and Miami went to rest up 74-58.
While Adebayo and Herro went into impressive mode, the highlight was how well the three newcomers (Lowry, Tucker and Morris) have adapted to the team in such a short amount of time. Your contest will be essential to aspire to greater things this season.
Martin received a blow to the head that required five stitches, but he came back and shone.
The other curious thing is that it did not seem like a preseason game, neither on the part of the players, nor on the part of the public who shouted each basket to rage. Without a doubt there was a lot of desire.
Neither Lowry, nor Tucker, nor Adebayo came out in the third; however, the Heat had 20 points (82-62) before leaving due to a quadrice concussion. Trae Young (14 points), the best of the Hawks.
Miami kept the lead throughout the quarter despite testing all its men and in the end finished ahead 99-82.
In the last quarter, the Sun Capital quintet was made up of Strus, KZ Opala, Martin, Marcus Garrett (the other two-way contract player) and Omer Yurtseven, who secured the victory against the Hawks’ reserve players.
Great demonstration of the Heat without their top star where he showed a higher level than the Atlanta team, which speaks very well of his great preparation work in his first week.