An analysis of Saturday night’s Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls

CHICAGO – Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 102-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls:

– For all the support Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler have received in recent games, this was not one of those nights.

– Haywood Highsmith was quiet.

– Kevin Love was short on his shot.

– Jaime Jaquez was in foul trouble.

– Until a driving dunk in the third period, Caleb Martin continued to look like a player looking for his legs.

– And Duncan Robinson returned to earth.

– It was the type of night that made you realize what was missing.

– And why Tyler Herro matters.

– Because Adebayo and Butler need reliable help.

– No, it doesn’t have to be through the rumor mill.

– But rather a way to work Herro successfully back into the mix when he’s back from his ankle sprain.

– Because the highwire act of close victories has its limitations.

– It shouldn’t always have to be the wait of when Butler returns in the fourth quarter.

– And Adebayo shouldn’t have to make every shot.

– Not should Butler have to come to the rescue with 3-pointers.

– The Heat again opened with Adebayo, Highsmith, Butler, Robinson and Kyle Lowry.

– There was a mix of cheers and boos when Butler was introduced.

– Highsmith’s first steal was the 50th of his career.

– Inactive for the Heat were Herro, Nikola Jovic, Jamal Cain, Cole Swider and R.J. Hampton, with the latter four in the G League.

– Dennis Rodman delivered the game ball before the opening tip.

– Love and Jaquez again entered together as the Heat’s first two reserves.

– Josh Richardson followed.

– And then Martin for nine deep.

– Martin was short on his first four attempts.

– But then came the dunk that calmed concerns about the knees.

– Followed later by a 3-point conversion.

– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Martin came out of Thursday’s return in good shape from a 10-game layoff due to knee pain.

– “Very good,” he said. “He’s ready to go again, same type of deal. There’s no minutes restriction, but we want to keep him going in the right direction.”

– Spoelstra said the seven-game winning streak the Heat brought into the game was not a pregame talking point.

– “We didn’t even talk about the win streak,” he said. “It’s more about being on the road again and setting a tone for the road trip. You have to expect it to be tough when you’re on the road, and challenging. And if you embrace all of that, these can be gratifying wins.”

– Asked at the morning shootaround about Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Spoelstra reflected back to the days when Donovan was nearby as University of Florida coach.

– “He’s a great leader, terrific thinker,” Spoelstra said. “I think that’s what I’ve always been drawn to when I met up with him. It’s been a few years. That’s the unfortunate thing, now that we’re in the same league. There was always nights when he was in college, when you’d get together and just talk shop. He’s always striving to look at things differently and innovate.”

– Spoelstra added, “He’s very creative, very innovative, and I always enjoyed my time with him.”

– Spoelstra would not engage regarding the struggles the Bulls brought into the game.

– “It’s early,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody overreacts to everything. You go through periods of time in the season where things aren’t going your way and it changes very quickly, just like it did with us.”

– Adebayo said the Heat focus was internal.

– “Keep going on these road trips, keep collecting these Ws,” he said.

– Of the Heat entering on a seven-game winning streak, Donovan said, “Obviously, you know, Butler and Adebayo are who they are. They’re great. Duncan Robinson’s playing incredibly well. And you got Lowry, a seasoned, veteran guy who looks a lot healthier now. They’ve got Martin back, he missed a good portion of (the season). So, they’re a little bit more whole, but they kind of play how they play.”