Miami Heat open trip with victory over Golden State Warriors
We Have Enough 114.
Golden State Warriors 102.
Officially, it was the Miami Heat winning by that score Thursday night at Chase Center at the start of their five-game western swing.
But the mantra of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra again held true on a night his team this time was without starters Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin, as well as without key reserve Josh Richardson.
No matter, not even against Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and a Warriors team that entered on an eight-game home winning streak.
“You want to set the tone right from the get-go,” Spoelstra said of starting the trip on the right note, “and for the most part I thought our guys brought that energy.”
So make it seven victories in the last nine for the Heat and a fourth consecutive road win, on a night there not only were 26 points from Tyler Herro and a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double from Bam Adebayo, but also a career-high-tying 18 points from two-way player Jamal Cain, 11 from seldom-used 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic and an emergency start from two-way player RJ Hampton, who scored seven and had three assists.
“We’ve had a lot of moving parts and this has provided our team to have a lot of different guys step up,” Spoelstra said. “Without those three guys and their contributions tonight, we’re not winning this game.”
From the Warriors, there were 13 points on a 3-of-15 shooting night from Curry and 13 points from Thompson. Golden State closed at 8 of 33 from the arc, their worst 3-point night of the season.
“Guys like that, you try to make them take as tough shots as possible,” Adebayo said. “And I feel like we did tonight. We forced them into difficult shots, and we were really locked in on the defensive end.
“We sustained for 48 minutes.”
It was an unlikely box score, and yet the type of outcome that Spoelstra continually stresses is possible when the correct approach is taken no matter the rotation resources.
“It shows we’re ready to step up,” Cain said of himself and the Heat’s other unexpected contributors.
And the start to the trip the Heat were seeking.
“It could be a stepping stone for us,” Herro said. “To be able to win at Golden State is never easy. We want to be able to stack wins after tonight.”
Five Degrees of Heat from Thursday night’s game:
1. Game flow: The Warriors led 25-22 at the end of the first period. The Heat then went up 14 in the second period before taking a 58-51 lead into halftime.
From there, the Heat pushed to a 91-76 lead into the fourth.
The Heat’s lead then moved to 22 early in the fourth quarter, with Curry and Thompson pulled at that stage and then Golden State emptying their bench for the final two minutes.
The victory lifted the Heat to 19-12, at seven games above .500 for the first time this season.
“They took it to us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We got out-coached, out-worked and out-played.”
2. The latest twists: In addition to a fourth consecutive game without Butler due to a calf strain, the Heat also were without Lowry due to soreness and Martin due the ankle sprain sustained in Monday’s Christmas night victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The depth was further limited with Richardson sidelined for a second consecutive game due to back pain.
That had the Heat rolling out their 17th lineup in their 31st game, this time opening with Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Herro and Hampton, who became the 14th Heat player to start at least one game this season.
In addition, the Heat sent center Orlando Robinson for seasoning in the G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Jaquez closed with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds.
3. The Cain game: With Duncan Robinson off with his shot and precious little available off the bench on the wing, Cain used his athleticism to move to 15 points by the end of the third quarter, despite playing only 16 minutes to that stage.
On a two-way contract for the second consecutive season after going undrafted out of Oakland University in 2022, Cain eclipsed his previous season high of 14 points, entering with a career high of 18 in last season’s finale against the Orlando Magic.
He then matched that career high when he opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer.
“Cain has been progressively getting better,” Spoelstra said. “He’s really embraced a role as a defender and filling the gaps defensively.
“We never, ever run a play for him, but he finds a way.”
Included in his responsibilities was the defensive assignment on Curry.
“He’s a hard guy to guard,” Cain said. “I’m tired as hell.”
4. Herro again: Herro continued his scoring sizzle as he has settled the Heat offense in the absence of Butler, up to 21 points through three quarters.
He closed 10 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.
“He has a gift for scoring. He has a knack for it.” Spoelstra said. “But then now, it’s the decision making, because he’s being schemed against.”
In addition to his scoring, Herro also helped the Heat to a 44-43 rebonding advantage over the league’s top rebounding team, with seven.
“Just trying to be a leader and lead this team,” he said. “It’s all about stacking Ws and getting wins. It’s all we do here.”
The Heat are 4-1 since Herro’s return from a six-week absence with an ankle sprain.
5. Up next: The trip continues with a Saturday game against the Utah Jazz, before closing with matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
“You always want to start off on the road trip with a W,” Adebayo said. “That feels like it’s a spark for us. We just feed off the energy and keep it rolling.”
