Betting on sports Individual Budgeting Public Announcements of Deaths Thanksgiving Day Miami Heat After a memorable G League stint that included an incident that “shocked” him, Nikola Jovic has returned to the Heat. ANTHONY CHIANG’S WORK 1:00:17 PM ON NOVEMBER 25, 2023 Jimmy Butler asserts that he must lead the Miami Heat past their championship hangover. Miami Heat Maven Jimmy Butler explained his plan to second-year forward Nikola Jovic before he left the Miami Heat to play in the G League last week. In Chicago at the time, with the Heat
Butler told Jovic that he planned to travel to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for a two-game set against the Bulls, to watch Jovic play in a G League game with the Heat’s developmental affiliate. “He asked me where we played and I told him, and he told me he was going to come,” Jovic remembers. The Heat are currently in Brooklyn to play the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Bally Sports Sun to wrap up their five-game trip. On Friday, they lost to the New York Knicks 100-98 despite blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead. “I was absolutely certain he wouldn’t show up.” VIEW NEXT Miami Heat Heat blows a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter once more. Lessons learned from the Knicks’ “disappointing” defeat
Butler, however, made plans to travel the 175 miles from Chicago to see Jovic’s G League debut with the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Sunday, honoring his word. When Jovic noticed Butler seated courtside at Oshkosh Arena, he said, “I was just shocked.” “Love is everything.” He assured me immediately following the game that he would never lie about such things. I genuinely admire him and am grateful for everything he has accomplished. After playing in that G League game last week, Butler rejoined the Heat in Chicago, and Jovic stayed with the Skyforce before rejoining the injured Heat to add depth for the team’s Saturday night game at Barclays Center against the Nets. Jovic, 20, who plays for the Heat
range, with a 1-2 record for the Skyforce. Jovic, who started the season outside of the Heat’s rotation, described the advantages of his brief stay in the G League as “just getting back in the rhythm of playing.” That, in my opinion, is the most crucial factor because, as of late, I’ve been extremely up and down and I’m just trying to play. That is most likely the first and most crucial item. The second is simply playing solid defense in one-on-one matches. The most crucial thing is to remain steadfast and monitor the effectiveness of my defense. Jovic had the chance to play a different position during that G League stint as well, as he spent the majority of his time as a center.
It’s something that is visible to all. Right now, Kevin Love is coming off the bench like a stretch five, and we have Bam [Adebayo] at five. Therefore, I believe that playing at the five will be the quickest route for me to return to the court, as do the coaches. Naturally, Jovic finds that the hardest part of the transition to playing as a center is improving his defense. That’s because, despite being a big man with versatility as a ball handler, facilitator, and outside shooter, Jovic’s offensive game outclasses his defense. “It’s different coverages at the five, so I need to adjust defensively first because they’re probably not going to let me switch,” he said.
.. Furthermore, it appears slightly differently for us when he plays five than it does down there. We find it intriguing that he has a dimension that can truly help Jimmy [Butler] and that he has much larger wings. He must thus consume all those diverse experiences, which will alter the gameplay from game to game. WINNING HEAT FACES The Heat’s record in the four-game group stage of the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament fell to 2-1 after their defeat to the Knicks on Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Heat must defeat its final group play matchup against on Tuesday in order to have any chance of making it out of the group stage and into the quarterfinals by either winning its group or securing the Eastern Conference wildcard spot.
The five-team Heat group standings for the tournament are as follows: Bucks (3-0), Knicks (2-1), Heat (2-1), Charlotte Hornets (1-2), and Washington Wizards (0–4) are the teams in order of finish. INDICATES OF INJURIES The Heat ruled out Bam Adebayo (left hip contusion), R.J. Hampton (right knee sprain), Tyler Herro (right ankle sprain), Duncan Robinson (right thumb sprain), Orlando Robinson (G League), and Dru Smith (right ACL sprain) for Saturday’s game against the Nets. This was the second night of a road back-to-back set. Following a rotation of his right ankle during Friday’s Knicks game, Butler is listed as questionable. Butler finished the game with 37 minutes played in the loss. Ben Simmons (left lower back nerve impingement) and Dennis Smith Jr. (lower back
Duncan Robinson is out against the Knicks on November 24, 2023, but he is questionable. Miami Heat avoids LaVine’s chase. Here’s why it was the right choice. 24 NOVEMBER 2023, 9:41 A.M. Tony Chang’s number is 305-376-4991. For the Miami Herald, Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat. He was raised in Miami and went to the University of Florida. Bring Us Along All the local stories you want, updated in real time, right into your palm. View the Miami Herald app SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR NEWSLETTERS Launch a Subscription Customer Support Program Vacation Hold eEdition Make a Bill Payment DISCOVER MORE About Us Get in touch with us Archives of Newsletters Evaluations Personal Finance for Sports Betting MARKETING McClatchy Public Relations Post an Obituary Post a Classified Ad Post an Ad Employment Solutions
