The Miami Heat made a major statement about just how good they are as they smashed the team with the best record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns, on the road without All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
The Heat are now up to third in the Eastern Conference as they overtook the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, who are suddenly in a slump.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies extended their impressive winning streak to eight games despite missing star point guard Ja Morant.
Read on as SBOTOP lists down the three most notable takeaways from the latest round of NBA games.
Heat supporting cast smokes full-strength Suns
The Miami Heat produced one of their most impressive wins of the season as they demolished the league-leading and full-strength Phoenix Suns 123-100 on the road.
The Heat were without All-Stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler due to injury, but it didn’t matter as their supporting cast carried the day. Sixth man Tyler Herro had 33 points off the bench, while sharpshooter Duncan Robinson added 27 points while going 8-of-16 on 3-pointers.
The likes of PJ Tucker, Caleb Martin, Omer Yurtseven, and Max Strus also continued to contribute in the absence of the team’s stars, while veteran point guard Kyle Lowry has been a steadying force all season.
Despite the absence of Adebayo for most of the year and Butler missing time due to niggling injuries, the Heat are still up third in the East at 25-15, which is a testament to how well Erik Spoelstra coaches the team’s supporting cast. He has a long track record of getting the best out of relatively unknown players, and he is doing so again this year.
The Heat are just a well-oiled machine at this point, and they proved against Phoenix that they can destroy even the best teams in the league while missing their two biggest stars. They should only get better when Adebayo and Butler are back in the lineup, so it might be a good idea to take their NBA 2022 odds to win the title of 13.00 now while they remain relatively high.
Bucks stuck in a slump
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks are suddenly in a slump. They lost 114-106 to the Charlotte Hornets, their third loss in their last four games, as they dropped out of the third seed in the East.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 43 points and 12 rebounds while Khris Middleton had a near-triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists in a losing effort for the defending champions, who were once again missing star guard Jrue Holiday due to Covid protocols.
Granted, the Bucks were on the second night of a back-to-back and had just beaten one of their main title rivals – the Brooklyn Nets – by 12 points on the road without Holiday, which shows just how good they are.
Nevertheless, home court advantage is always crucial in the playoffs, and Milwaukee could potentially drop to the No. 4 seed given the increased competition from the Bulls and the Heat in the East this season.
Having said that, though, the Bucks will still be a legitimate title contender as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy, so there is no reason for major concern just yet amid their recent losing skid.
Grizzlies keep winning without Ja Morant
The red-hot Memphis Grizzlies extended their West-leading win streak to eight games as they blew out the LA Clippers, 123-108, despite missing star point guard Ja Morant.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had a team-high 26 points with 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 steals in Morant’s absence. Desmond Bane had 23 points, while Tyus Jones – who started in Morant’s place at point guard – added 18 points. Brandon Clarke had 18 points and 15 rebounds off the bench.
The Grizzlies – 27-15, 4th in the West – have been outstanding this season without Morant, going 11-2 in 13 games. Much of the credit must go to head coach Taylor Jenkins, who has his team playing solidly on both ends of the court. Jenkins has also done well to maximise quite a deep roster of players all season long.
Of course, the Grizzlies are still a much better team with Morant, despite their success without their star point guard this season. But it’s brilliant that they can cope so well even with their top playmaker out of the lineup, and it bodes well for their chances of holding onto that top-four seed in the West.
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