MIAMI – As the Miami Heat make a playoff push, the team is headed in the wrong direction after losing its third straight game, this time a 134-126 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. With the Heat facing tough opponents in the home stretch of the season, the team is still trying to find a key area with 12 games left, as it features the duo of Norman Powell and Tyler Herro.
The explosive guard duo has been in just 14 games together this season, with each missing significant time due to injuries, especially Herro, who has missed a total of 47 contests with a myriad of issues. Powell has filled the void as the leading scoring guard in Herro’s absence, making the veteran a first-time All-Star and leading Miami with 22.4 points per game.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra brought Powell off the bench on Thursday night, which could be an untenable situation as the team figures out how to utilize both Powell and Herro. As for Spoelstra, he believes it will “work itself out”, admitting that it is “hard to assess”, and even going so far as to say that it is “at the back” on his list of priorities.
“The skill level of both of them will lend itself to them on the court,” Spoelstra said. “You know we need it. We need all the offensive firepower we have right now. It’s hard to assess, and I understand it because it’s a story, because they don’t have a full body of games and a season, it’s way behind the order of my priorities. Because if we’re defending the way we’ve been, and getting things done in the open court, and we’re getting in transition, in my view, it just works itself out.”
Heat’s Norman Powell gives honest opinion on coming off the bench
Although the Heat’s lineup may change due to injuries to Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jacquez Jr., Powell’s role on the team will remain until the end of the regular season. Still, it’s not like Spoelstra is keeping Powell and Herro away from each other, either, with them playing significant minutes together in the loss to the Lakers, even if Herro came off the bench.
Herro recorded 21 points on eight of 19 shooting from the field, four of 10 from deep, along with eight rebounds and five assists. Powell worked well with the second unit, and even played extended games with the starters near the end, recording 32 minutes and scoring 20 points on seven of 13 shooting from the field.
Still, the two of them on the floor together are a work in progress, and it’s noticeable when looking at the two guards’ spacing and defense. Powell will talk about coming off the bench and how much of an adjustment it is, something he underestimated because he’s had so many roles during his decade-plus long career.
“I’m just playing my game, those decisions and things are up to me,” Powell said. “I can’t control it. I focus on what I can control: being a good teammate, being professional, having confidence in myself, going out there and playing the way I want to play, and whatever minutes I get, figuring out how we can make it work.”
Heat’s Norman Powell sees himself as a starter
As the Heat were unable to stop Lakers star Luka Doncic, who contributed a massive 60 points, it started in the second half, where the star lit it up with 19 points in the third quarter, as he had 21 points at halftime. It was another disappointing loss for Miami, as they led by as many as 15 points in the first half, even scoring 42 points in the opening frame.
The three-game slump is a blow to the Heat, especially with a seven-game winning streak already underway, as the team still needs to figure out a significant role for Powell. Whether this is a permanent move or it will be on a game-by-game basis, Powell thinks it’s the latter.
Powell will be honest in saying he believes he is a starter, but he is accepting his role if Miami feels that is what it takes to win games.
“We talked, I don’t know, game by game. I don’t know, it’s a question [Spoelstra]But we talked about how it’s going to move forward, with everybody, you know, treating every game as a playoff game, because it’s so important,” Powell said. “And whatever role you’re given, the focus has to be on going out there and winning games, no matter what, and that’s my focus. I feel like I’m a starter; I’ve worked to be in that role. But if the team feels like me coming off the bench for a few games, or whatever depending on the matchup, will put us in a position to win games, then I’ll accept the role and go out there and play basketball.
Heat’s Bam Adebayo takes down Norman Powell coming off the bench
At the end of the day, it remains to be seen how Powell’s role changes with the Heat, but if one thing is for sure, the minutes he is playing are integral. Miami captain Bam Adebayo echoed the same sentiment with ClutchPoints, saying how he’s still playing minutes, comparing it to the way former star Lou Williams was brought off the bench.
“I mean, obviously, the guy was an All-Star, so we think he can carry it forward,” Adebayo said after leading the team with 28 points and 10 rebounds. “You know, for me, it’s always the other side. Always want my guys to be scoring. Some of us are just built to do that. You know, for me, it’s doing the little things on the other side, communicating, being in your right spots, and then on the other side, it’s sacrificing cuts every now and then, and that’s everybody.”
“It’s not just Norm, I mean, Norm’s sacrifice, he’s coming off the bench, and he’s figuring out his role, but he’s still playing 32, so it’s like, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter about coming off the bench, because you’re being like Lou Will in coming off the bench, but you’re still playing 30 plus.”
In addition to Doncic, it was an efficient game for former Heat star LeBron James, who recorded 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, along with 15 rebounds and 10 assists. At any rate, Miami is now back up to the eighth seed at 38-32, with its next game on Saturday against the Houston Rockets.
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