The Miami Heat have joined the ranks of teams capitalizing on Kevin Durant’s absence. The South Beach squad encountered little resistance in the second half and claimed a 121–111 victory over a Phoenix Suns team that has now dropped eight of nine games without its biggest star.
«He creates a lot of space for everyone,» said head coach Mike Budenholzer about the void Durant leaves. «His gravitational force alone makes everything easier for our group. You can’t replicate the kind of fear he instills in opponents. Our attention to detail and our spacing have to be better. Our defense, too. Really, every little thing Durant contributes without us even noticing.»
Without Durant in the equation, the Heat focused their defensive attention on Devin Booker, who posted 21 points but shot just 6-of-16 from the field. His seven assists were overshadowed by five turnovers. Royce O’Neale led the Suns in scoring with 23 points, followed by Grayson Allen’s 16 off the bench. Bradley Beal also struggled, adding 15 points but missing 13 of his 18 shot attempts.
After a tightly contested first half, the Heat took charge after intermission behind Bam Adebayo, who tallied 19 of his 25 points in the second half, and Jimmy Butler, who finished with 24 points and was instrumental in the closing run. The South Beach squad also capitalized on another key absence for the Suns—Jusuf Nurkic was out—dominating in the paint (62–32) and breaking the game open with a 12-0 run at the start of the third quarter.
After the game, head coach Erik Spoelstra praised Butler’s performance. «Jimmy [Butler] in the fourth quarter gives you those possessions where you can settle in and know you’ll make a smart play,» the coach said. «He made all the right decisions down the stretch.» The coach also had words for Adebayo. «In five or six games, he’s been close to a triple-double in each one. It’s a shame people only notice when he’s scoring. His leadership in that third quarter was what I saw. I tried to call for a zone, and he yelled at me. I love it. I want him to take control of the defense. He is our voice.»
This win allows the Heat to stay in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 11-10 record, while the Suns slip to eighth in the West, only a game and a half ahead of the 11th-place San Antonio Spurs.