Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat talks to reporters following the retirement and display of his jersey number 40 during the halftime ceremony of the Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks game on Friday, January 19, 2024, at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, Florida. AL DIAZ
The expectation was that the Heat’s three best players getting together at last would inspire the group and move Miami up the Eastern Conf
Following their humiliation by a rebuilding Toronto team on Wednesday, Miami was left with a 5-6 record this season when Butler, Adebayo, and Herro are all in uniform after their 109-108 loss to an underperforming Hawks team on Friday that was missing star Trae Young.
When Miami’s “Big Three” played last year, the score was 26–25. For the previous two seasons, that is 31-31. However, don’t hold the three best players on the Heat accountable for Friday’s loss, which came down to a Dejounte Murray transition 27-foot three-pointer with just two seconds remaining.
Miami, when Butler, Adebayo, and Herro are all in uniform, has a 5-6 record this season. When Miami’s “Big Three” played last year, the score was 26–25.
For the previous two seasons, that is 31-31. However, don’t hold the three best players on the Heat accountable for Friday’s loss, which came down to a Dejounte Murray transition 27-foot three-pointer with just two seconds remaining. Herro, Adebayo, and Butler each contributed in some way.
Butler finished with a 25-point, 6-assist performance, making 8 of 10 field goals and 9 of 10 forHerro, Adebayo, and Butler each contributed in some way. Butler scored a game-high 25 points by making 8 of 10 field goals and 9 of 10 free throws.
With 35 seconds remaining, Herro made a huge three-pointer to give the Heat a four-point lead. Herro went on to score 25 points (10 for 19) and pull down six rebounds. In addition to his typical strong defence, Adebayo finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
But Friday served as yet another illustration of the need for additional talent to complement Miami’s three best players. The six Heat players who played (Nikola Jovic, Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, Josh Richardson, Kyle Lowry, Haywood Highsmith) combined for 8 for 30 points, with the exception of Duncan Robinson’s 14 points.
