1. The HEAT have their formula for when they’ve been without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and that style was on full display in Portland as the team started 9-of-14 from three, assisted on 18 of their first-half scores, packed the paint, played a little zone and enjoyed a 58-47 lead at halftime. If you’ve seen any of the team’s shorthanded games over the past month-plus, this was essentially that.
The difference tonight was that Kyle Lowry was ejected with his second technical just before the first half ended, and suddenly the team had to deal with a shortage of playmakers beyond what they had already experienced.