The Heat’s first new starting five of the season didn’t change the result. Miami walked into Sacramento and came away with a 114-108 win in a clutch game against a one-win team, getting big nights from Davion Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson to survive down the stretch.
Pelle Larsson got the nod to start and showed why the Heat were willing to try him there, but he also ran into the exact problem that could make this tricky. He picked up foul trouble almost immediately, getting into it within the first two minutes. That was always one of the concerns with moving him into the lineup.
Larsson still gave Miami something. He shot 57.1/75, grabbed three rebounds and handed out three assists, but the fouls caught up with him. He fouled out in the fourth quarter with the game still hanging in the balance, and that’s the kind of issue he’ll have to clean up if this is going to stick.
Mitchell was once again the steady hand. He finished with 17 points and 11 assists for his sixth double-double of the season, and he’s now been the Heat’s second-most reliable player behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
His best work came in the fourth quarter, where he took over a stretch that started with 5:10 left. Over four straight baskets, he either scored or assisted, and he capped that run with a huge block from behind on Malik Monk that sparked a Klay Thompson layup in transition.
Giannis did Giannis things, piling up 29 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He only got to the line seven times and made just one free throw, but he still finished 14 of 23 from the field for 60.9%.
Sacramento leaned on zone looks, and Giannis answered by settling into midrange shots instead of forcing everything to the rim. It worked on this night, though the bigger question is whether that approach can hold up over time.
Thompson was the other big shot-maker Miami needed. He poured in 23 points with two rebounds, four assists and two blocks, doing it on 53.3/53.8 shooting splits. He kept finding ways to shake loose, whether it was coming off screens, relocating, or using a ball fake and step-back in transition against two defenders before stopping on a dime and drilling the three.
Erik Spoelstra now has a real roster problem on his hands. His top two wings are giving Miami very little offensively and are a liability on defense. Andrew Wiggins just resigned to a long-term contract, while Tim Hardaway Jr. has been an outright turnstile on that end since arriving this season.
That leaves Pelle in the starting group for now, and it also points to a bigger role for rookie Ryan Conwell sooner than anyone probably expected for a second-round pick. Conwell had another strong two-way showing, finishing with six points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The box score only tells part of it. He brought energy on both ends, held up well at the point of attack and looked calm with the ball in his hands. His minutes are only going to climb from here.
In Other News...
Heat Already Face A Bigger Question After Early Lineup Shakeup
Erik Spoelstra wasted little time making a notable tweak to Miamis starting five, turning to Pelle Larsson for the teams 10th game of the season and moving Andrew Wiggins out of the opening unit. It was the kind of early-season adjustment that signals more than a one-night message, especially with Larsson bringing a shooting touch above 40 percent while Wiggins has been stuck below 30 percent and has had trouble holding up on defense.
For the Heat, the change is less about one swap than about what comes next. Spoelstra and his staff are expected to keep adjusting rotations and testing different roles as they search for a better fit, which means this lineup shakeup may be only the first step in a longer evaluation of how Miami wants to organize its perimeter minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Sends Clear Message About Leaving Bucks Drama Behind
A viral clip from the Bill Simmons Podcast put Doc Rivers back in the spotlight this week, with the former Milwaukee Bucks coach revisiting the challenges of coaching Giannis Antetokounmpo. For Miami Heat fans, it was a reminder of how quickly the league moves on from old friction, especially when the names involved are still among the most recognizable in the game.
Giannis answered the noise by making it clear Rivers is no longer his coach and by steering the conversation back to where his attention is now. The Bucks difficult stretch under Rivers is part of the backdrop here, but the bigger point is simpler: both men have moved on from Milwaukee, and Antetokounmpo is focused on his current team rather than reopening an old chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Bench Problems Are Putting Spoelstras Young Options Under Pressure
Through the first 10 games, Miamis second unit has been one of the early problems Spoelstra has had to sort through, with the Heat sitting near the bottom of the NBA in bench scoring and efficiency. That has already pushed the staff to tinker with the rotation, including moving Pelle Larsson into the starting lineup and giving Ryan Conwell Jr. a bigger look as the team searches for more reliable production beyond its core.
The ripple effect has been felt across the roster, where minutes and roles are still very much in flux. Players such as Nikola Jovic and Myron Gardner have seen limited opportunities, and the Heat are clearly using these early weeks to test different combinations in hopes of finding a bench group that can hold its own instead of putting more pressure on the starters. [Read more 🡒]