But less than three weeks after that defensive debacle, the Heat will have an opportunity for revenge when it hosts the ultra-talented Celtics on Sunday (2 p.m., ABC) to close its four-game homestand. The Celtics hold the NBA’s best record at 40-12 this season, entering Saturday with the NBA’s second-best offensive rating and third-best defensive rating. “Definitely a good barometer,” Love said ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Celtics. “Probably been the best team all year. Really shot it well here. But certainly on our home floor, we want to have a better showing, make it be super competitive and try to get a win here at home.”
Source: Miami Herald
Source: Miami Herald
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Those numbers don’t guarantee victories, as the Heat is 2-2 over the past four games. But an offense run through Butler usually gives the Heat a better chance of coming away with the win. Miami is 9-3 this season when Butler’s usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) is 25 percent or higher, and he’s crossed that threshold in two of the last four games after posting a usage rate of under 25 percent in seven of the eight games before this four-game span. “It’s been huge,” Heat veteran Kevin Love said of Butler’s recent offensive uptick. “I think it’s been great for each and every one of us throughout the lineup. He’s the guy that when you establish him early, he’s always going to make the right play and he’s going to be incredibly efficient, and he’s done it his whole career. “So when he does that, when he really gets himself going, gets in attack mode, whether he’s shooting the ball or getting to the free-throw line or setting up other players, that’s when we’re at our best.” -via Miami Herald / February 3, 2024
Ira Winderman: Kevin Love (illness) is now out for the Heat tonight vs. Celtics. Thomas Bryant (not Nikola Jovic) took Love’s minutes Wedneday when Love took ill. -via Twitter @IraHeatBeat / January 25, 2024