Miami Heat’s Caleb Martin Has Impact In First Game Back
After missing a week because of a knee injury, Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin was back in the fold for Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He scored 11 points in the Heat’s 120-108 victory at FTX Arena.
“It felt great to be back,” Martin said. “I’m always trying to play and if I can go, I will go. I have to be smart and the coaches want me to be smart and take care of my body. It was easy to get back in rhythm. It took a little bit to find my spots and get back to playing with new guys that are getting implemented. I think it’s pretty easy when you play the right way.”
Getting Martin back just adds to the team depth for the Heat, who are now two-and-a-half games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
“He’s the definition of a Swiss army knife,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You can plug him into a lot of different roles with different lineups. He’ll find a way to make it work. That’s a credit to him and his versatility and how he works on his game. He can defend so many different positions. We’ve missed his presence on the ball. Then those plays in between. Those are winning plays that don’t necessarily show up anywhere. The hustle plays, the deflections, extra possessions, tip-outs and the cuts. All of those different things contribute to winning in a bigtime way. It was great to have him back.”
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