In a much-needed outcome, the Miami Heat executed a strong 112-86 win over the Golden State Warriors at the Kaseya Center tonight. It was a dominant two-way performance from the Heat, who faced Jimmy Butler for the first time since his departure while Stephen Curry missed the game for rest.
Bam Adebayo showed off in front of his former co-star, putting up 27 points (9-18 FG) and eight rebounds, while Tyler Herro scored 20 points (7-10 FG) and seven assists. Alec Burks had 17 points (6-8 FG), while rookie center Kel'El Ware had 14 points (7-11 FG) and 10 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins stuffed the statsheet in his revenge game with 10 points (4-13 FG), five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks.
The Warriors were led by Jonathan Kuminga, who scored 15 points (4-10 FG) off the bench. Brandin Podziemski scored 14 points (6-16 FG), while Gui Santos contributed 13 points (5-8 FG). The only other starter outside Podz to score in double digits was the man of the evening, Jimmy Butler. Butler had 11 points (5-12 FG) and six rebounds in a quiet game.
Let's take a look at this game and analyze the major takeaways.
A Tale Of Opposite Offensive Fortunes
This was a terrible offensive game for the Warriors, who have shown a propensity to be completely incapable of scoring through stretches. This is a problem that plagues them when Stephen Curry is on the court, so it was bound to get exacerbated without Curry tonight. That's exactly what happened, as Golden State had no offensive creativity to counter a really aggressive Heat defense.
The Warriors shot 33-83 (39.8 FG%) from the field and 9-38 (23.7 3P%) from three in a rotten offensive showing. They couldn't create open opportunities, and whenever they did manage to do so, their players couldn't convert on the opportunities. The exact opposite was true for the Heat, who set a season record for three-point efficiency.
The Heat went 43-77 (55.8 FG%) over the course of the game, while they shot a red-hot 17-25 (68.0 3P%) during this game. It was a dominant offensive showing for a team that was clearly motivated to send a message tonight. Their aggressive defense, complemented with their shooting, made them virtually unstoppable tonight.
Jimmy Butler Got Shut Down
This was supposed to be a big game for Jimmy Butler. The Warriors are in the middle of an intense Playoff positioning battle in the West. While they're currently at No. 6, they're only half a game ahead of the No. 8 seed. This could've been a signature performance from Butler against the franchise that deemed he wasn't worth a supermax contract. Instead, it was anything but that.
Butler was at the center of Miami's defensive strategy, with their swarming style ensuring Butler wasn't effective as a scorer or distributor. Without Curry or any real on-ball scoring threat, Butler was burdened with a lot of responsibility. The Warriors tried sharing the same amongst themselves in the second half, given how Butler was being guarded.
This was one of Butler's worst performances since joining the Warriors in December. Going 15-5 over 20 games doesn't matter if you start losing games when they matter the most. This was a win that would've helped them get a cushion on No. 6 while also putting pressure on the No. 5 and No. 4 seeds in the West.
Warriors Don't Look Like Contenders
The Heat have won their last two games after an 11-game losing streak since losing Butler, but tonight's win will give them enough to smile about. But the major talking point here has to be how Golden State looked. This isn't the first time they've played without Curry this season, actually coming into this game with a 7-3 record when Curry misses a game.
Their offense was so incredibly flat tonight without Steph that it highlights how much they rely on the 36-year-old guard for consistent scoring. Butler is a great player, but scoring isn't his signature skill. He can do all the right things to elevate Curry and the others, but he simply doesn't improve the Warriors enough to make them legitimate contenders.
They might seal the No. 6 seed and compete for a Conference Finals position, but tonight's loss was yet another reminder that this team has a lot of work still to do.
