SACRAMENTO — Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 121-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings:
– The Heat rotation certainly was eye opening.
– With Cole Swider and Alondes Williams on the court in the first period.
– Yes, a very much all-hands-on-deck night for Erik Spoelstra’s squad.
– With invention a mother of necessity.
– But just as much as grit, what you take away from nights such as these is those who otherwise can get overlooked.
– Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith made themselves matter.
– And that matters, particularly with the Heat likely to go small in their power rotation at postseason moments of truth.
– Both had moments that mattered Monday, on both ends of the court.
– Yes, Nikola Jovic still might remain a choice at power forward, amid all his potential.
– But when it again is Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, it will be about complementary pieces.
– In this one, Martin and Highsmith reminded how they complement.
– They mattered.
– Solidifying rotation roles.
– The Heat’s Wheel o’ Lineups this time stopped on No. 30 for the Heat in their 57th game, this time opening with Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Martin, Duncan Robinson and Delon Wright.
– The Heat used 26 lineups last season over those 82 games.
– Wright became the 17th player to start for the Heat this season.
– The only players on the roster yet to start this season are two-way contract holders Swider and Williams.
– Because of their suspensions, Butler, Thomas Bryant and Jovic could not be listed as inactive.
– Inactive for the Heat were Herro, Terry Rozier, Josh Richardson, Orlando Robinson and Dru Smith.
– Spoelstra before the game downplayed being down three point guards (Rozier, Richardson and Herro) and three big men (Jovic, Bryant and Orlando Robinson).
– “It’s more about us trying to get to our identity even with this group, whoever is available,” Spoelstra said. “We were able to work through some things (Sunday). We’re just trying to get consistent to this identity.”
– Spoelstra added, “We know what our benchmarks are to put us in the best position to win regardless of who’s available.”
– Richardson (shoulder), Herro (knee), Rozier (knee) and Robinson (back) were out due to injury, as was Smith, who has been sidelined since December season-ending knee surgery.
– Spoelstra downplayed the lack of ball-handling, noting how Martin often has been cast in such a role.
– “We have enough ball-handling,” he said. “Caleb has done it quite a bit for us, that’s not a secret to anybody. Jaime has done it, Bam has done it and we have Delon now. So we have enough ball-handling. It’s more important that we get to our identity.”
– The Heat had five available reserves: Kevin Love, Highsmith, Jamal Cain, Swider and Williams.
– Highsmith and Swider entered together in the Heat’s first substitution.
– It was just Swider’s second action in the last 12 games.
– Love and Williams then made it nine deep for the Heat, leaving Jamal Cain at that point the lone available Heat player yet to see action.
– Martin’s second point was the 2,000th of his career.
– Adebayo’s second defensive rebound was the 3,000th of his career.
– Spoelstra had ample praise going in for Kings guard De’Aaron Fox.
– “When he gets downhill and gets any kind of momentum,” Spoelstra said, “he’s as good as anybody in this league.”
– The game opened the Heat’s ninth back-to-back set of the season. They entered 5-3 on the first night, 4-4 on the second.
– Otis Birdsong was at the game as part of the Kings’ celebration of the franchise’s 100-year anniversary.
