Heat's Jimmy Butler shouts out unheralded hero after thrilling win over Mavericks

MIAMI – It was a thrilling night for the Miami Heat as they beat the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, 123-118, in what was their second straight win after a week-long break. The Heat was led by another great outing from Jimmy Butler, but it was the second unit that got a shoutout from the star, more specifically, second-round rookie Pelle Larsson.

While Butler would lead Miami with 33 points on 11 for 17 shooting, as well as making 11 of 16 from the free-throw line, he also recorded nine rebounds and six assists. Larsson, on the other hand, would score 14 points with five rebounds coming off the bench as Butler would go as far as to say that the Swedish-born player reminds him of himself when he was much younger.

“He can just do everything. He really do, like he can shoot the ball, he can handle the ball, he can finish, he can guard,” Butler said. “I think as the game continuously slows down for him, he's just going to get more and more comfortable. It's really going to be hard for Spo to take him off the floor. I like the way that I always see him in early, leaving late, and honestly, he reminds me of myself whenever I was younger in this league, but he could probably shoot the ball a lot better than I could though.”

Jimmy Butler speaks highly of Pelle Larsson.

“It’s really gonna be hard for Spo to take him off the floor…he reminds me of myself when I was younger in this league, he probably could shoot the ball better than I could…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/N8i4DMJfwa

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 25, 2024

As the Heat rookie in Larsson had been looking for more playing time, he got his wish, getting extended minutes, playing 36 of them, saying after the game how it felt “good” to get another opportunity. He would have an efficient shooting night, making six of his eight attempts, but was also a pest on the defensive end.

Pelle Larsson on getting extended minutes tonight and his team giving him good looks.

“It feels good…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/AcnF3vyDVN

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 25, 2024

Heat's Bam Adebayo shouts out the effort from the bench

However, it was also the performance from veteran guard Alec Burks that gave Miami some key scoring throughout the game, looking to knock off Dallas, who went to the NBA Finals last season. It was a solid effort for Bam Adebayo, who finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as he said to ClutchPoints after the game that Burks has the “professionalism” to take advantage of the playing time, which could be sparse.

“Man, they made their mark in the game,” Adebayo said when talking about the bench. “They impacted winning tonight. They hit some big shots. But it's the preparation that y'all see behind the scenes. Because, you know, Alec will go from playing a lot of minutes to he might play spot minutes. And you know, for him to be that professional all the time. You know, never get to, never get too down on himself, never get too up. You know, it shows how he's lasted in his league just because of his professionalism.”

Asked Bam Adebayo about the effort from the bench.

“They made their mark on the game…it’s the preparation that y’all don’t see behind the scenes…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/I09FlD0JBG

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 25, 2024

Burks would lead the bench in scoring with 15 points as he was the sole Heat acquisition not already on the team before in the offseason looking to acquire depth at the guard position. As shown Sunday night, he can provide a huge boost to the team on the offensive side of the ball, which he has been doing since the early 2010s.

Big s/o to Alec for for last night's performance:

15 points & 4 triples off the bench 👌 pic.twitter.com/aUFEnP0szs

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) November 25, 2024

With the depth that the team has, it is up to Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to come up with different rotations based on talent and matchups that work effectively and consistently. After this game, Larsson and Burks could be go-to options more often than not.

Heat's Erik Spoelstra runs through what makes their bench deep

However, it was also the return of Heat star Jaime Jaquez Jr., who came back from an ankle injury and showed some rust, scoring seven points on two for seven shooting. Another crucial piece is veteran big-man Kevin Love, who serves as Adebayo's primary backup as Spoelstra emphasized to ClutchPoints about the impact the bench unit had.

“I mentioned that in the locker room, you know, it really gave us a boost again,” Spoelstra said. “Got off to a flat start, and then not only those two, but K-Love played really well in his minutes, and that unit just gave us a great spark. I love, you know, the dynamic that that it can bring. Jaime had some good moments in there as well. Pelle played so hard. He really played hard, you know, picking up full court, guarding bigger guys, throwing his body all around. He had an impact, you know, for sure.”

“And Alec, you know, made some timely baskets. You know, that's what this guy does,” Spoelstra continued. “There was that one on the baseline where we were jammed up. And he just kind of did what he did earlier in his career. But he also just gave us some real steady play. And, you know, I think the guys just also with K love, they just love playing with them. He's going to glass eat, and all he wants to do is set you up for an opportunity, you know, going the other way. And those are important opportunities for us.”

Asked Erik Spoelstra about the play from the bench including the likes of Pelle Larsson, Alec Burks, and others. Would shout out everybody else.

“I mentioned that in the locker room, they gave us a huge boost again…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/LiSdYEoBcE

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 25, 2024

Heat's Jimmy Butler shares love for teammate Kevin Love 

Love plays an integral role for the Heat as not only still producing at a high level at 36 years old but also being the veteran presence in the locker room that can bring experience to the younger players such as Larsson or Kel'el Ware. It was an easy decision for the team to re-sign Love to a new contract this past offseason as he has embraced the specific role that Spoelstra has laid out for him.

The relationships that he has already formed under a few seasons with Miami are already on display. One in Butler would sing the praises of Love, who scored nine points and led the team with 11 rebounds.

“I love playing with K-Love,” Butler said. “He's so smart, he's always looking to make the right play every single time with him on the floor there's so much space, and it's just like a head nod, and I know what he thinking, he know what I'm thinking. We talk about it because, you know, we're both one of the vets, the vet vets on this team. But the one thing that we always keep in common is the fact that we definitely want to win.”

At any rate, the Heat now have a 7-7 record, which puts them fifth in the Eastern Conference, as their next game is another huge one against the Milwaukee Bucks in what will be their third contest in NBA Cup group play.