Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 110-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers:
–If Victor Oladipo can be what he was in Monday night’s first half, a bench boost who also can be integrated with starters as the rotation evolves throughout games, it is . . .
– A potential game changer.
– Because there then would be a Plan B on nights when Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro or Kyle Lowwry don’t have it.
– Oh, and he defends, too.
– Meaning a potential offense-defense late-game substitution for Herro instead of Gabe Vincent (or even with Vincent).
– Remember the narrative that Butler couldn’t play alongside Oladipo?
– Certainly didn’t look that way in the second quarter.
– With all due respect to Max Strus and Duncan Robinson, this is a team that had lacked creativity in reserve.
– That appears to be arriving in a No. 4 jersey.
– And also provides an option for the nights when Kyle Lowry is off.
– Which has become a thing of late, as well.
– For only the 13th time this season, the Heat opened with their preferred starting lineup of Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Butler, Herro and Lowry.
– The Heat entered 5-7 with those five starting.
– Martin had been listed as questionable with a quad strain earlier in the day, having missed the previous two games.
– He played only the opening 6:16 in the first half.
– But was back out with the starters for the open to the third quarter.
– Dewyane Dedmon was back with the team after remaining behind at the start of the trip in NBA health-and-safety protocols.
– Dedmon was inactive.
– “He’s here, which is a great sign,” coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame. “And then we’ll get him a good workout today, see how he feels tomorrow and then hopefully we can build on that.”
– Also inactive was two-way forward Jamal Cain, as a means of saving a day of NBA service on his two-way contract.
– The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard due to an illness.
– He previously missed the first of the teams’ two games.
– The Clippers opened with a lineup of Terance Mann , Marcus Morris , Ivica Zubac, Paul George and Reggie Jackson.
– Like the Heat, the Clippers have been limited this season with their prime alignment, with only 14 games with Leonard and George in action together.
– “We haven’t been together long enough to say this is how we want to play, this is who we want to be,” coach Tyronn Lue said.
– Orlando Robinson, two-way contract and all, was the first reserve off the Heat bench.
– And again played well, with six points and five rebounds in eight first-half minutes.
– With Oladipo following.
– And then Strus, Duncan Robinson and Vincent making it nine deep.
– The game was Adebayo’s 50th in a row scoring in double figures, five games off the longest such streak of his career.
– The double-double moved Adebayo past Udonis Haslem and into sole possession of fourth place on that Heat all-time list.
– Herro’s third rebound was the 1,000th of his career.
– With his first 3-pointer, Lowry matched the second longest streak of his career with games of at least one, at 32. His longest such career streak is 34 with the Raptors in 2015-16.
– Butler’s seventh point was his 4,000th with the Heat.
– Strus’ third 3-pointer tied Tyler Johnson for 15th on the Heat all-time list.
– The game was the first for the Heat in a January that includes 9 of 15 games against teams that made the playoffs last season.
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