<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-reveals-important-wish-after-snapping-skid-in-win-vs-nets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals important wish after snapping skid in win vs. Nets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Heat-news-Erik-Spoelstra-reveals-important-wish-after-snapping-skid-in-win-vs.-Nets.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals important wish after snapping skid in win vs. Nets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T21:08:46-08:00">December 23rd, 9:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T21:08:46-08:00">December 23rd, 9:08pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MIAMI – It was a much-needed win for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-prevails-over-nets-despite-jimmy-butler-terry-rozier-absence">Miami Heat as they beat the Brooklyn Nets</a> on Monday night, 110-95, even without the likes of stars Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. There had to be some positive momentum as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Heat collapsed against the Orlando Magic last Saturday</a> as head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak on the message to the team as they head into a mini break with the Holidays here.</p><p>The team has been through a rollercoaster as they had an impressive four-game winning streak, then they would lose three straight including the dreadful Magic loss, finishing with the win over Brooklyn at home Monday. Spoelstra would say to ClutchPoints after the game that he wants everybody to recover physically during this break and even to be <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871411968810377408" rel="noopener">“grateful”</a> for the position they are in.</p><p>“We just want to, get everybody feeling good physically,” Spoelstra said. “You know, we’ve had a stretch, not of a ton of games, but just guys have been dealing with some minor things. I just want everybody to feel good, you know, and we’ll get ready for a big game in Orlando, and then, in the meantime, I want guys to understand what a great place we’re in, even though we’re not where we want to be, there’s a lot to be grateful for.</p><p>“This locker room and who we have,” Spoelstra continued. “There’s a lot to be grateful for. That we’re all here together, you know, for a reason, and we have an opportunity ahead of us. So take a couple of days to think about that, reflect on that, and see the abundance that’ll be there for us in 25 and in the meantime, we’ll have a great holiday and get ready for a big game in Orlando.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Erik Spoelstra about the message to coming off a skid, the collapse in Orlando, the win, and with the holidays here.</p><p>“Get everybody feeling good physically…I want guys to understand what a great place we’re in, even though we’re not where we want to be…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wb4u4PRtxa">pic.twitter.com/Wb4u4PRtxa</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871411968810377408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s current health problem includes concerning Dru Smith injury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dru-Smith-on-Dec.-23-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As Spoelstra was saying, there has been a health issue with some players such as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-nets-latest-injury-update">Butler who is dealing with a stomach illness</a>, and the aforementioned Rozier who was a late add to the injury report with left knee inflammation. However, the game on Monday would be shadowed by what could be a serious injury to Dru Smith.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sending thoughts to Dru Smith, who had to be helped off the court in the second quarter against Brooklyn 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/XKkjkKeqWm">pic.twitter.com/XKkjkKeqWm</a></p><p>— HEAT on FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSN_Heat) <a href="https://twitter.com/FanDuelSN_Heat/status/1871366007069298989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><br>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-erik-spoelstra-shout-out-miamis-latest-diamond-in-the-rough">Heat guard had been getting consistent minutes</a> recently, maybe even in line to go from his two-way contract to a standard deal, but would suffer a non-contact lower left leg injury with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter. <a href="https://x.com/FanDuelSN_Heat/status/1871366007069298989" rel="noopener" target="_blank">He would have to be helped off the court</a> and was taken straight to the locker room.</p></figure><p>Spoelstra would say <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871403136042307807" rel="noopener">“The air went out of the building”</a> as his <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871406029323522200" rel="noopener">teammates offered their prayers</a> as it truly had an impact on them since Smith had been making his marl with the team, especially already coming off a torn ACL recovery.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra talks about Dru Smith getting injured, how he and the team feel about his journey. He would say he doesn’t want to predict anything, will wait for MRI tomorrow.</p><p>“The air went out of the building…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/DQYPkJCWT6">pic.twitter.com/DQYPkJCWT6</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871403136042307807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bam Adebayo on watching Dru Smith go down and talking how “pure” he is and shares conversations that they have on airplanes.</p><p>“All we can do is pray for him, but it is definitely a gut punch…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/fR9iJ2GGAs">pic.twitter.com/fR9iJ2GGAs</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871406029323522200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo reflect on team amidst Holidays</b></h2><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-tyler-herro-drops-worthy-all-star-admission">Heat’s All-Star hopeful Tyler Herro</a> would have a relatively modest game with 17 points, scoring a crucial seven in the final period to stall the Nets from making a comeback. In reflecting on the season heading into the New Year, he would emphasize the importance of the team playing <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871412325808472152" rel="noopener">“consistently.”</a></p><p>“I think we haven’t played bad basketball,” Herro said to ClutchPoints. “I think we lost three the last three before this. But we keep continuing to show glimpses of good offense and good defense in different sections of the game. So I would just say focus on consistency and sustain our game and our identity throughout a full 48 minutes, which will continue to grow on and continue to get better at, you know. So we enjoy these next two days and be ready for Orlando.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Tyler Herro about the mindset of the team getting this mini Holiday break and what he wants to see.</p><p>“We haven’t played bad basketball…so I would just say to focus on consistency…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/6Snl66iGIa">pic.twitter.com/6Snl66iGIa</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871412325808472152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>It would be an impressive game for the likes of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-how-bam-adebayo-kevin-love-are-helping-mold-different-miami-rookie">Heat first-round rookie Kel’el Ware</a> and even Nikola Jovic who led off the bench with 18 points. Still, it was the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-bam-adebayo-embracing-love-hate-relationship-with-heat-captain-title">Heat’s captain Bam Adebayo</a> (who led the team with 23 points) who spoke about what he wanted his team to do during the Holidays.</p><p>“Enjoy their families,” Adebayo said. “You know, that’s what the holidays about, being around your family, being able to decompress for a little bit, but understand we still got a job to do after the holidays are over.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bam Adebayo on what he wants the team to think during the Holidays.</p><p>“Enjoy your families, that’s what the holidays are all about…but still understand we got a job to do…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/IEV36JGW57">pic.twitter.com/IEV36JGW57</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871412571213066621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>At any rate, Miami is now 14-13 as they start a three-game road trip, starting Thursday against Orlando where they look to rewrite the narrative after the breakdown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals important wish after snapping skid in win vs. Nets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-miami-prevails-over-nets-despite-jimmy-butler-terry-rozier-absence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat prevails over Nets despite Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier absence');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-Heat-takeaways-from-win-loss-vs-Nets.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat prevails over Nets despite Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T19:05:27-08:00">December 23rd, 7:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T19:05:27-08:00">December 23rd, 7:05pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MIAMI – After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Heat collapsed against the Magic</a> last Saturday, they bounced back with a home win to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, 110-95. The team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-nets-latest-injury-update">came out without Heat star Jimmy Butler</a> and even Terry Rozier and handled business, snapping the three-game skid.</p><p>Bam Adebayo led the team with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists as Tyler Hero and Duncan Robinson each had 17. Herro would have 12 rebounds and nine assists to go with the 17 points as even Nikola Jovic led the team off the bench with 18 points.</p><p>Here are three takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Nets:</p><h2><b>A tale of two quarters in first half for Heat, includes Dru Smith injury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Dru-Smith-and-the-Heat-on-Dec.-23-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Heat broke down against the Magic</a> last Saturday, they wanted to get the dreadful taste out of their mouth by getting off to a fast start against the Nets. They did just that in the first quarter where Miami scored 39 points in the frame as they shot 12 of 20 from the field and nine of 14 from beyond the arc.</p><p>They got a huge boost from Nikola Jovic who came off the bench for Miami, scoring 10 points, shooting three of four from the field, and made both of his attempts from three-point range. Some huge buckets from Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. would help as well, the latter who made the start with Butler missing his second straight game with a stomach illness.</p><p>However, it would turn around in the second quarter where the offense stalled as they only made five of their 20 attempts from the field, including two of 10 from deep. The period also <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871366902058193082" rel="noopener">had some unfortunate news</a> where Dru Smith suffered a lower leg injury, appearing to slip and staying down on the floor until he had to be helped off the floor and go straight to the locker room.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video of when Dru Smith got hurt, non-contact. Video by <a href="https://twitter.com/Demar305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Demar305</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/ygBJe87qcf">pic.twitter.com/ygBJe87qcf</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871366902058193082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><br><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-erik-spoelstra-shout-out-miamis-latest-diamond-in-the-rough">Smith had been getting consistent Heat minutes</a> as this would not be the first concerning injury as he was recovering from a torn ACL this past offseason. He seemed like a lead candidate in mind for a standard contract after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-thomas-bryant-trade-pacers">Heat traded Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers,</a> but depending on the severity of the injury to Smith, which seems to be serious, that is in flux.</p></figure><p>Still, Miami has to clean up what was an ugly second period as they led by 14 points, but had a one-point lead at halftime.</p><h2><b>Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo close out the Nets in second half</b></h2><p>The third quarter would be a little bit of a turnaround for Miami, though they still carried a five-point lead against a struggling Brooklyn team. With Butler out, the offensive workload was thought to be carried to Herro and Adebayo, but each would have a modest game, but the third period was a highlight for the big man.</p><p>Looking <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-bam-adebayo-embracing-love-hate-relationship-with-heat-captain-title">at the Heat’s captain Adebayo</a>, he would have nine points to go along with four rebounds, each would lead both teams in the 12 minutes played. As a whole the team, shot seven of 16 from the field and just three of 10 from deep compared to the Nets who made nine of 25 from the field and three of eight from three.</p><p>In the final frame, Adebayo and Herro would close out the game behind some strong offensive performances when it mattered most as they had eight and seven respectively. They came at a time when Miami needed buckets to stall Brooklyn, which is exactly what they did, leading to the win.</p><h2><b>Road test ahead, Heat hope to have Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier back </b></h2><p>With this game in the books, the team has a three-game road trip to look forward to with the health of some stars being the main focus for Miami. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-leaves-thunder-game-early-with-illness">Butler has been dealing with a stomach illness</a>, missing the last two games, including the win Monday against the Nets, but it didn’t stop there for the team.</p><p>Point guard Terry Rozier was a late add to the injury report Monday, though he was listed as “probable” with left knee inflammation. His status would not change as a Heat spokesperson told ClutchPoints before Erik Spoelstra’s pre-game press conference that Rozier was waiting for the arrival of doctors to see if he could go.</p><p>He would go from “probable” to “out” as the former Charlotte Hornets guard had been used as a key play-maker off the bench, coming off his best game, scoring 23 points (season-high) in the Heat’s collapse. The team will look to see any further updates regarding Butler, Rozier, and especially Smith after the concerning lower left leg injury as their next game is against the Magic on Dec. 26.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat prevails over Nets despite Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier absence

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-growing-consensus-downplays-jimmy-butler-trade-possibility');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: ‘Growing consensus’ downplays Jimmy Butler trade possibility');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Growing-consensus-downplays-Jimmy-Butler-trade-possibility.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: ‘Growing consensus’ downplays Jimmy Butler trade possibility</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T16:29:41-08:00">December 23rd, 4:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T16:29:41-08:00">December 23rd, 4:29pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jimmy Butler’s time with the Miami Heat appears to be nearing its conclusion, but according to Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43115881/nba-buzz-orlando-g-league-trade-deadline-intel-2025-draft-bronny-james-cooper-flagg" rel="noopener">league insiders believe</a> that Butler is likely to remain with the team past the trade deadline. Unless the six-time All-Star causes significant disruptions or Miami receives an irresistible trade proposal, he is expected to stay on the Heat’s roster.</p><p>Butler has visibly shown his frustration with the Miami Heat throughout this season, despite delivering exceptional performances on the court. However, the Heat’s current roster lacks the depth and talent needed to contend for an NBA championship, especially in an Eastern Conference that is more competitive than it has been in years.</p><h2><b>Where is Jimmy Butler going?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-on-the-court-for-the-Heat.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 35-year old is in the final year of his contract and seems unlikely to re-sign with the Miami Heat, which raises the possibility of a trade. The six-time All-Star is expected to opt out of his $52 million player option for next season, making him a free agent unless an extension is agreed upon. Miami has the option to offer Butler a two-year deal worth $112.6 million to retain him.</p><p>This season, Butler has been solid, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. He is shooting 55.2% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range, and 78.2% from the free-throw line. The Heat forward’s contributions have helped the Heat achieve a 13-13 record, placing them sixth in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Butler has become a topic of trade discussions this season. With a $48.7 million salary and stellar performances on the court, he warrants a team capable of contending for a title. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butlers-agent-sounds-off-again-on-trade-rumors">While Butler’s agent has refuted the rumors</a>, the chatter hasn’t subsided. As the trade deadline approaches in just over a month, a deal involving Butler could materialize quickly.</p><h2><b>The Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns showing interest</b></h2><p>The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reports that the Lakers are anticipated to be among the more aggressive teams ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, aiming to capitalize on the remaining years of the LeBron James and Anthony Davis duo.</p><p>Parting with their final valuable trade assets is essentially a full commitment to the present, and that’s exactly the intention. If the Lakers hesitate to trade Hachimura and two first-round picks for a versatile forward who boosts their performance on both ends of the court, it raises the question—why hold on to Davis and James at all?</p><p>The Phoenix Suns are reportedly eager to acquire Butler, but their only potential path to landing him would involve trading Bradley Beal and what remains of their future draft picks. However, two significant obstacles stand in the way: Beal holds a no-trade clause, and there is little indication that the Heat are interested in a trade involving Butler and Beal, according to Marc Stein.</p><p>Beal, 31, has dealt with injuries this season, including a sprained elbow, a strained calf, and knee swelling. Following a recent practice, Beal suggested that no one from Phoenix’s front office has approached him about the possibility of waiving his no-trade clause.</p><p>Last Friday, Jimmy Butler exited Miami’s game in the first quarter after seeming to injure his ankle. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a stomach illness, which the Heat lost 114-107. Butler also missed Saturday’s 121-114 loss to the Orlando Magic due to the same illness. He is listed as questionable for their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-nets-latest-injury-update">Monday game against the Brooklyn Nets due to a stomach illness</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: ‘Growing consensus’ downplays Jimmy Butler trade possibility

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-how-bam-adebayo-kevin-love-are-helping-mold-different-miami-rookie');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/How-Bam-Adebayo-Kevin-Love-are-helping-mold-different-Miami-rookie.jpg"></figure><h1>How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T15:34:42-08:00">December 23rd, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T15:36:48-08:00">December 23rd, 3:36pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MIAMI – There is no doubt that fans have been wanting to see <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-highlights-kelel-wares-development-amid-sparse-playing-time">more playing time for Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware</a>, who was selected with the 15th overall pick in the latest NBA Draft. They would get that wish during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Heat’s collapse to the Orlando Magic</a>, but fans can still take away the continuous improvement from Ware as he’s in the same locker room with dynamic players like Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love.</p><p>Ware would log 14 minutes as he finished with eight points on making all four of his shots from the field to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks as he led the team with a +26 on the floor. Speaking before Monday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, head coach Erik Spoelstra would name to ClutchPoints certain traits that both Adebayo and Love have that he wants to see from Ware,<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871329926345044291" rel="noopener"> but also emphasizes</a> being his own person.</p><p>“Yeah, I haven’t really looked at it from that standpoint, but certainly the professionalism of each of them, the work ethic,” Spoelstra said. “You know, take some of the rebounding traits from K-Love, some of the defensive versatility from Bam, but there he’s different. He brings something different. That’s what we like about him and he had some really good minutes the other night.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Erik Spoelstra about what he wants Kel’el Ware to take away from mentors like Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love.</p><p>“The professionalism of each of them…take some of the rebounding traits from K-Love, some of the defensive versatility from Bam, but he’s different…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/wxw1iOveAh">pic.twitter.com/wxw1iOveAh</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871329926345044291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Bam Adebayo on how Kel’el Ware has stuck with the “process”</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kelel-Ware-on-Dec.-21-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-bam-adebayo-embracing-love-hate-relationship-with-heat-captain-title">The Heat’s captain in Adebayo</a> would speak highly about Ware after the loss to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Magic where the Heat lost a 22-point lead</a> going into the fourth quarter, losing as they only scored eight points. Still, Adebayo was impressed with the Indiana University product as he is <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article297458873.html" rel="noopener">“sticking with the process”</a> in his development according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“He’s just understanding the process,” Adebayo said. “It’s a marathon not a sprint at the end of the day, and I think he’s starting to understand that. I always make the joke that I didn’t play as a rookie. So obviously you look at what I’ve done in my career, if you would have seen me in my rookie year, you would have been like there’s no way this kid is going to be him now. So like I said, just sticking with the process.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Love on Kel’el Ware’s “fit” with the Heat</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kevin-love-on-kalel-wares-awesome-strides-despite-lack-of-minutes">As for Love</a>, he is a veteran in this league who has seen everything, including an NBA championship, but had elite abilities whether it be on the glass or on the offensive side of the ball. The 36-year-old would mention how Ware “listens to every single one” on the team in order to get better.</p><p>“He has really fit in with us well because he just continues to work hard,” Love said. “He listens to every single one of us, he wants to apply things that are taught to him both on and off the floor, He has really just continued to chase the game. Even at practice, we just sometimes put him on defense and have him guard the rim and just try to block every shot. We don’t care if it’s a goaltend, we don’t care if he smacks the ball into the fifth row. … That’s what we want to see from him. He’s a guy who can really do that.”</p><p>At any rate, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kelel-ware-delivers-encouraging-first-meaningful-performance-with-miami">Ware hopes to get consistent minutes</a> as Miami is 13-13 before the game against Brooklyn where they hope to snap a three-game skid.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-nets-latest-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Jimmy Butler out vs. Nets due to stomach illness');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Heat-news-Is-Jimmy-Butler-playing-vs_9b6804.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Jimmy Butler out vs. Nets due to stomach illness</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T09:23:13-08:00">December 23rd, 9:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T14:40:26-08:00">December 23rd, 2:40pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-free-agency-reason-heat-rushing-trade-jimmy-butler">trade rumors surround Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat</a>, the focus for fans is if he will play Monday night as they take on the Brooklyn Nets. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-gets-injury-update-for-nets-game-after-25-point-collapse">Butler’s status was up in the air</a> for the contest as the team looks to break their three-game skid after winning four straight prior.</p><p>Here’s everything we know about Jimmy Butler’s injury and his playing status vs. the Nets.</p><p>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Get Access | Save $30</a>)*</p><h2><b>Jimmy Butler injury status vs. Nets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-on-Dec.-16-2024-1.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jimmy Butler is <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871322935706747357" rel="noopener">out vs. the Nets with a stomach illness</a>, and it will mark his second straight game missed, according to ClutchPoints.</p><p>It all started when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-leaves-thunder-game-early-with-illness">Butler left with that illness</a> during the first quarter of last Friday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder where it looked originally to be an ankle injury because of a collision in a bang-bang play. However, he would go to the locker room where the team later announced he left because he was <a href="https://x.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1870282878795280686" rel="noopener">“feeling ill.”</a></p><p>He has only missed the last game where the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Heat suffered a major collapse to the Orlando Magic</a>, at one point having a 25-point lead and losing a 22-point lead going into the fourth quarter. If he were to be out again Monday night, the team needs to figure out how to engrain the <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870324691572834510" rel="noopener">“next man up mentality”</a> as the Heat’s captain Bam Adebayo said after the loss to the Thunder.</p><p>“We got to figure this thing out,” Adebayo said. “You can’t harp on who’s in, who’s out. It’s about going out there and trying to get the W.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bam Adebayo on hearing that Jimmy Butler won’t be returning to the game.</p><p>“Next man up…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/2v4WXlbyyn">pic.twitter.com/2v4WXlbyyn</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870324691572834510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Butler entered the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-leaves-first-quarter-leads-to-loss-over-okc">Heat’s loss to the Thunder </a>with an illness but felt ready to go as head coach Erik Spoelstra <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870321593215307779" rel="noopener">explained after the game.</a></p><p>“I’m not thinking any other thought,” Spoelstra said. “If guys say they can go, we’re going right now.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler being ill before the game.</p><p>“If guys say they can go, we’re going…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/DhamlZVHoG">pic.twitter.com/DhamlZVHoG</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870321593215307779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the collapse without Jimmy Butler </b></h2><p>Still, it was not like Butler’s absence last Saturday caused anyone to falter to start the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Heat’s collapse against the Magic</a> as they scored 76 points in the first half, a season-high, but would crack under the pressure, scoring eight in the final frame. Orlando was without their top three players Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs as Spoelstra would cite their defense and an exceptional 35 points from Cole Anthony.</p><p>“<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article297430043.html" rel="noopener">You have to credit them</a>,” Spoelstra said via The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. “They stepped up their defense, they got stops…We started to try to self-will a little bit versus that pressure, that led to turnovers. And then when we did get open looks, we weren’t in a rhythm and you’re feeling a little bit of the momentum shift. It’s tough to knock those down.”</p><p>“It just became an absolute avalanche from there,” Spoelstra continued on Anthony. “Once he hit two, it became three, four. Going into the fourth quarter, he was in a great rhythm. And so even though there was some separation, that’s the danger. You let an ignitable guy like that see a couple go down and the momentum just shifted from there.”</p><p>Miami is now 13-13 as they look to beat Brooklyn.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Jimmy Butler out vs. Nets due to stomach illness

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-free-agency-reason-heat-rushing-trade-jimmy-butler');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Free agency reason why Heat aren’t rushing to trade Jimmy Butler this year');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-free-agency-reason-Heat-arent-rushing-to-trade-Jimmy-Butler-this-season.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Free agency reason why Heat aren’t rushing to trade Jimmy Butler this year</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T08:50:37-08:00">December 23rd, 8:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T08:50:37-08:00">December 23rd, 8:50am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Miami Heat are reportedly not rushing to get rid of Jimmy Butler even though a trade involving the aging star seems all but inevitable.</p><p>Over the past few weeks, Butler has been at the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop">center of trade rumors</a>, with the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-trade-grades-espn-rockets-heat">, Houston Rockets,</a> and Golden State Warriors being mentioned as either desired or potential landing spots. However, the Heat, which have until the February trade deadline to move Butler this season, are confident that even if they do not trade Butler before then that they will have the opportunity to do so over the summer or during next season.</p><p>“The Heat have slumped to a worrisome 13-13, but they continue to transmit calm and patience when it comes to the Butler situation,” NBA insider Marc Stein <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-nba-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=153497921&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">wrote on his</a> Substack. “As covered here on Dec. 14, Miami is extremely confident that Butler won’t be able to leave in free agency this summer — if he indeed goes through with bypassing his $52.4 million player option for next season — without the Heat’s help in a sign-and-trade.”</p><p>Miami is right to have confidence that Butler, who turns 36 before next season, will pick up his massive option even if he is not content with the Heat (or vice versa). Unless Butler feels he can get a long-term extension elsewhere, like possibly spreading out more than $100 million over two or three years, he will very likely elect to guarantee himself $52.4 million.</p><p>Additionally, Stein added that there is only one team in the NBA currently projected to have the room to make a long-term extension play for Butler.</p><p>“Only Brooklyn is currently on course to have the sort of salary cap space required to sign Butler outright in the summer,” Stein said, “and few are projecting the Nets — who just shipped Dennis Schröder to Golden State and are expected to soon shed additional veterans with the hope of improving their draft prospects in June — to mount a free agent run at a thirtysomething. Butler, six times an All-Star, turned 35 in September.</p><p>That leaves Butler and the Heat stuck together for the time being, although that could change if another large-salary player becomes available on the trade market or either Miami or the team it is trading with decides to slash salary on its roster, giving them the ability to move a player making as much as Butler is.</p><p>This season’s NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 6, giving the Heat 45 days to move Butler. If they choose not to, the six-time All-Star will have to make his more than $50 million decision by the June 29 option deadline.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Free agency reason why Heat aren’t rushing to trade Jimmy Butler this year

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-how-heat-feel-jimmy-butler-bradley-beal-trade-swap');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How Heat feel about a Jimmy Butler-Bradley Beal trade swap');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/How-Heat-feel-about-a-Jimmy-Butler-Bradley-Beal-trade-swap.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How Heat feel about a Jimmy Butler-Bradley Beal trade swap</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T07:45:20-08:00">December 23rd, 7:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T07:48:49-08:00">December 23rd, 7:48am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Miami Heat star forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-trade-grades-for-espn-hypothetical-suns-heat-76ers-deal#:~:text=Suns%20trade%20grade%3A%20A&amp;text=This%20season%2C%20Butler%20is%20averaging,exit%20against%20the%20Minnesota%20Timberwolves.https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-trade-grades-for-espn-hypothetical-suns-heat-76ers-deal#:~:text=Suns%20trade%20grade%3A%20A&amp;text=This%20season%2C%20Butler%20is%20averaging,exit%20against%20the%20Minnesota%20Timberwolves.">Jimmy Butler has been at the center of trade discussions</a>, most notably with the Phoenix Suns and Bradley Beal. Although the deal would have some Suns fans rejoicing, a transaction wouldn’t be as simple as it seems. For starters, Beal has a no-trade clause. Meaning that he has the final say in where he wants to go. Even if the Suns and Heat have the perfect trade arranged, if Beal says no, then it can’t go through.</p><p>However, there’s more to the puzzle than simply Beal saying no. The contracts are interesting as well. NBA national reporter Marc Stein <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/sunday-best-all-my-latest-nba-trade?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=153497921&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">made an intriguing point</a> that “Beal is a $50 million player this season, has two seasons left on his contract worth $110 million, and has missed 36% of his games as a Sun across a season-and-change in the desert.</p><p>“Phoenix, furthermore, cannot aggregate contracts in any trade, holds no control over its first-round draft pick for the next six years, and has only one future first-round pick (2031) and three second-rounders to package with Beal in a Butler trade offer.”</p><p>After previously giving up four first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets and two to the Washington Wizards, the franchise won’t have their draft pick for quite some time. Although they want to win an NBA championship right now, having assets for the future is important, too.</p><h2><b>The Heat and Suns would need other teams to make a Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal trade happen</b></h2><p>A typical trade machine could have a straight-up deal occur. With a no-trade clause, salary constraints, and an expiring deal in the mix, many factors have to go both team’s ways. To make salaries work and to prevent taxing complications, the two teams would need a third or fourth team to facilitate.</p><p>Regardless of the speculation, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-bradley-beal-keeps-it-real-jimmy-butler-trade-rumors">Beal kept it real about a possible Butler trade.</a> It’s part of the business, and Beal explained in that article that it’s happened his entire career. While Phoenix has been a primary team engaged in a trade talk with the stars, many factors will have to go their way to secure a deal.</p><p>On the flip side, the Heat won’t likely want Beal on their roster. After all, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bradley-beal-admits-that-heat-not-suns-were-his-initial-favorite-in-trade-talks/" rel="noopener">he wanted to go there before Phoenix</a>, and they didn’t make an effort to pursue him. It could leave a feeling of bitterness if the Suns guard ends up in Miami. Still, many factors need to play out to make the second blockbuster trade under Mat Ishbia’s ownership group happen.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How Heat feel about a Jimmy Butler-Bradley Beal trade swap

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-jimmy-butler-gets-injury-update-for-nets-game-after-25-point-collapse');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Jimmy Butler gets injury update for Nets game after 25-point collapse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-gets-injury-update-for-Nets-game-after-25-point-collapse.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Jimmy Butler gets injury update for Nets game after 25-point collapse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T13:43:39-08:00">December 22nd, 1:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T13:43:39-08:00">December 22nd, 1:43pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Miami Heat collapsed against the Orlando Magic</a> on Saturday night, they look to bounce back Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets, hoping to get back their main star Jimmy Butler. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jimmy-butler-leaves-thunder-game-early-with-illness">Butler would leave last Friday’s loss</a> against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a stomach illness as his status for the team’s next contest has potentially been revealed.</p><p>As fans hope to have Butler back, the team would announce on their official X, formerly Twitter, page that he is <a href="https://x.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1870911054693474338" rel="noopener">“questionable”</a> with the illness. During the aforementioned defeat against the Thunder, Butler would leave towards the end of the first quarter where at first, it looked to be an ankle injury as he limped off the floor after a bang-bang play.</p><p>The team would then announce that he was “feeling ill” and wouldn’t return to the game as it was specified as a stomach bug that prevented him. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-gets-100-real-on-jimmy-butlers-early-exit-in-loss-to-thunderhttps://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-gets-100-real-on-jimmy-butlers-early-exit-in-loss-to-thunder">Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak about Butler</a> entering the game with an illness and <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870321593215307779" rel="noopener">expressed his thoughts about him playing.</a></p><p>“I’m not thinking any other thought,” Spoelstra said. “If guys say they can go, we’re going right now.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler being ill before the game.</p><p>“If guys say they can go, we’re going…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/DhamlZVHoG">pic.twitter.com/DhamlZVHoG</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870321593215307779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Bam Adebayo on the team’s mindset without Jimmy Butler</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-on-Dec.-16-2024.-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-heat-not-seeing-anything-great-yet-in-jimmy-butler-trade-talks">Butler and the Heat are surrounded with trade speculation</a>, they still have a season in front of them as getting the star back would be huge, especially after the dreadful loss to Orlando where they led by as much as 25 points. If he won’t be able to go, it will be on Heat All-Star hopeful Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo who spoke about having a <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870324691572834510" rel="noopener">next-man-up mentality.</a></p><p>“We got to figure this thing out,” Adebayo said. “You can’t harp on who’s in, who’s out. It’s about going out there and trying to get the W.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bam Adebayo on hearing that Jimmy Butler won’t be returning to the game.</p><p>“Next man up…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/2v4WXlbyyn">pic.twitter.com/2v4WXlbyyn</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1870324691572834510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Miami made slight history Saturday night, but not in the way they would have liked as according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, “Teams with a 22-point lead or more entering the fourth quarter had gone <a href="https://x.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1870660572880241015" rel="noopener">796-0 in</a> NBA games since Dec. 22, 2019.” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">The Heat had a 22-point lead</a> going into the final period and lost the game 121-114 as the Heat’s captain in Adebayo spoke about what went wrong and how the collapse is a <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article297430043.html" rel="noopener">“teaching point”</a> according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“It’s hard to get wins in this league,” Adebayo said. “The easiest thing to do is be mediocre and lose. For us, this is definitely a teaching point. Being up like that, how can we sustain our mindset to keep pushing forward.”</p><p>“I feel like we relaxed because we were up,” Adebayo continued. “I feel like that’s the karma of the game. You relax and then you let a team get hot, and then it goes the other way and you’re trying to fight back.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the “tough lessons” learned </b></h2><p>One has to wonder if Butler would have played in the contest if the Heat would have prevailed, but it’s not like it was a close game throughout. Miami would finish the first half with 76 points which is a season-high for the team, but would break down in the fourth quarter where they scored a measly eight points as Spoelstra spoke about the “tough” aspects of the loss.</p><p>“These are tough lessons that we all have to learn,” Spoelstra said. “We all had our fingerprints in this loss in that fourth quarter, including myself.”</p><p>“These are tough a** lessons to complete a game,” Spoelstra continued. “This is the modern NBA right now. A 20-point lead is not what it was a decade ago and you have to finish all the way through.”</p><p>The Heat next face the Nets on Tuesday night, hoping to have Butler back as they are on a three-game skid just when they had a four-game winning streak recently.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Jimmy Butler gets injury update for Nets game after 25-point collapse

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-heat-not-seeing-anything-great-yet-in-jimmy-butler-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Heat not seeing ‘anything great yet’ in Jimmy Butler trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Heat-not-seeing-anything-great-yet-in-Jimmy-Butler-trade-talks.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Heat not seeing ‘anything great yet’ in Jimmy Butler trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T09:51:34-08:00">December 22nd, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T09:51:34-08:00">December 22nd, 9:51am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Miami Heat suffered a collapse Saturday night</a> to the Orlando Magic, the team is still surrounded by trade rumors involving star Jimmy Butler. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-gets-100-real-on-jimmy-butlers-early-exit-in-loss-to-thunder" rel="noopener">Heat star left last Friday’s game</a> against the Thunder with an illness as it amplified the speculation with some insight revealed about what the team has heard in possible trade talks.</p><p>On the social media app X, formerly Twitter, a user would ask Miami Herald reporter Barry Jackson “Are they talking to teams Barry” in reference to the Heat. He would respond that they are “taking calls and listening but I don’t <a href="https://x.com/flasportsbuzz/status/1870522632787075111" rel="noopener">see anything great out there yet” </a>when talking about deals for the 35-year-old.</p><p>The original post by a user would be in response to Jackson speaking about the outcomes of the Heat not pursuing a trade for Butler and the likelihood of the star leaving in free agency with the team gaining nothing from it. However, he would say that the team has <a href="https://x.com/flasportsbuzz/status/1870520574973534445" rel="noopener">“no concern”</a> in losing the forward without conducting a trade.</p><p>“Now that Jimmy Butler has been linked to 7 teams by various national outlets, important to remind everyone: The idea of ‘losing Butler for nothing’ next summer is of absolutely no concern to Heat,” Jackson wrote Sunday. “Only rebuilding Nets have cap space to sign him. If Heat gets a great trade offer, they’re open to it. If not, as we and others have reported, they’re happy to take this into next summer.”</p><h2><b>The first four teams linked to the Heat’s Jimmy Butler </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-on-Dec.-16-2024.-2.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s important to look back where Jackson mentioned there are seven teams that have been connected to the Marquette product through recent reporting. This started when Shams Charania of ESPN reported that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jimmy-butlers-preferred-trade-destinations-with-heat-open-to-offers">Butler had preferred destinations</a> if he were to be traded and that the Heat are <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/42878390/shams-charania-nba-pass-trade-intel-jimmy-butler-brandon-ingram-golden-state-warriors" rel="noopener">“open”</a> to offers with the three teams listed being the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and the. Golden State Warriors.</p><p>“The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN,” Charania wrote on Dec. 20. “And Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors.”</p><p>After that initial report from Charania, he would add another to the list being the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-suns-potential-jimmy-butler-trade-destinations">Phoenix Suns as a team Butler would open</a> to going to if he were to be dealt by the Feb. 6 trade deadline. This was a post on X as it garnered a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-agent-calls-out-shams-charania-amid-trade-rumors">visceral reaction from Butler’s agent</a> who called the report “fabricated.”</p><p>“The Phoenix Suns are another team that Jimmy Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that the six-time All-Star is open to as a destination while Miami listens to trade offers, sources tell ESPN, joining Dallas, Houston, and Golden State,” Charania reported on X.</p><h2><b>Three more teams have been “quietly mentioned” linking to Jimmy Butler</b></h2><p>The list of teams does not stop there as three more were added in new reporting from ClutchPoints’ NBA Insider Brett Seigel. He said that the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Lakers have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop">“quietly mentioned in league circles” to Butler.</a></p><p>“Three other teams quietly mentioned in league circles are the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Lakers,” Seigel wrote. “Butler would be another great veteran leader for the Spurs to add next to Victor Wembanyama, and he could also really help Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, a younger team that has championship potential right now. After all, Sam Presti and the Thunder have plenty of draft assets to pull off any trade they want at any moment.”</p><p>At any rate, there is no doubt that the situation regarding Miami and a possible trade for Butler will be monitored closely until the deadline, but there is still a season to be played. After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Heat’s collapse against the Magic</a>, they look to break their three-game skid against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Heat not seeing ‘anything great yet’ in Jimmy Butler trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Erik Spoelstra’s blunt reaction to historic Heat collapse vs. Magic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Heat-news-Erik-Spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs.-Magic.jpg"></figure><h1>Erik Spoelstra’s blunt reaction to historic Heat collapse vs. Magic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T07:52:51-08:00">December 22nd, 7:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T07:52:51-08:00">December 22nd, 7:52am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Miami Heat suffered a major collapse</a> Saturday night as they lost to the Orlando Magic, 121-114 after they led by 22 points heading into the final period. They would be without <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-magic-latest-injury-update">Heat star Jimmy Butler due to a stomach illness</a> as Erik Spoelstra spoke after the game to give his visceral reaction to the meltdown.</p><p>Miami’s largest lead was 25 points against the Magic as the home team was short-handed themselves, missing players such as Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and even Jalen Suggs. Spoelsta would say after the game that there are <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article297427123.html" rel="noopener">“tough lessons”</a> to learn as the season moves forward according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“These are tough lessons that we all have to learn,” Spoelstra said. “These are tough, tough-ass lessons to complete a game.”</p><p>It would all culminate in the fourth quarter where it seemed like Orlando was unable to miss as they shot 60.9 percent from the field and four of eight from beyond the arc. As for Miami, they were held down, shooting two of 18 from the field, and didn’t make any of their eight three-point shot attempts, finishing with a measly eight points as Spoelstra spoke about the breakdown in the final frame.</p><p>“They stepped up their defense, they got stops,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what they do. We started to try to self-will a little bit versus that pressure, that led to turnovers. And then when we did get open looks, we weren’t in a rhythm and you’re feeling a little bit of the momentum shift. It’s tough to knock those down.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Bam Adebayo on the “karma” the team got in the collapse</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Bam-Adebayo-on-Dec.-21-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The game wasn’t all bad for the team as they led by 20 points at halftime, scoring 76 which was by far their highest-scoring half of the season. But it ended up being somewhat historic as per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, “Teams with a 22-point lead or more entering the fourth quarter <a href="https://x.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1870660572880241015" rel="noopener">had gone 796-0</a> in NBA games since Dec. 22, 2019.”</p><p>Well, until Saturday night when Miami lost. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-bam-adebayo-embracing-love-hate-relationship-with-heat-captain-title">Heat’s captain Bam Adebayo spoke</a> about what went wrong in the contest and accredited it to them feeling “relaxed” since they had a comfortable lead throughout, saying they received “karma.”</p><p>“I feel like we relaxed because we were up,” Adebayo said. “I feel like that’s the karma of the game. You relax and then you let a guy get hot, and then it goes the other way and you’re trying to fight back.”</p><h2><b>New starting lineup for the Heat in loss to the Magic </b></h2><p>The Heat big-man in Adebayo would finish with 23 points, six rebounds, and two steals, and he also recorded a -35 on the floor. As for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-tyler-herro-drops-worthy-all-star-admission">Heat’s All-Star hopeful Tyler Herro</a>, he had 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists, but the lead scorer along with Adebayo would be Terry Rozier off the bench with 23 points.</p><p>Miami would bring out a different starting lineup as besides replacing Butler, Spoelstra would take Highsmith out and put in Dru Smith and Nikola Jovic. Highsmith would end up not playing a single minute as he was active in the contest.</p><p>“It was a little bit different because of their frontline size and we’re built for it without Jimmy that we can just slide Niko in there, particularly now that he’s healthy,” Spoelstra said of the change. “I thought those minutes helped us in terms of size. It wasn’t anything against H. The dynamic changes if Jimmy is out. And who we play, it was a different kind of team with a big frontline.”</p><p>At any rate, the Heat look to get back in the lab as after previously having a four-game winning streak, they are currently on a three-game skid highlighted by the collapse. They are 13-13 which puts them sixth in the Eastern Conference as they’ll next face the Brooklyn Nets at home on Monday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Erik Spoelstra’s blunt reaction to historic Heat collapse vs. Magic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s brutal collapse vs. Magic ends 796-0 NBA streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Heat-news-Miamis-brutal-collapse-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s brutal collapse vs. Magic ends 796-0 NBA streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T19:24:01-08:00">December 21st, 7:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T20:02:44-08:00">December 21st, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Heat looked like they were on their way to an easy win when they took a 106-84 lead into the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Then, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-how-franz-wagner-leadership-evolved-amid-paolo-banchero-injury">Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner-less Magic</a> did the unthinkable.</p><p>Orlando outscored Miami 37-8 in the fourth quarter to secure the 121-114 victory. The Magic are the first NBA team to win a game after entering the final period with a 22-point deficit in 796 contests, a streak that dated back to December 22nd, 2019.</p><p>This was a devastating collapse for the Heat, as they allowed<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-cole-anthony-honest-admission-on-recent-struggles-jamahl-mosley-benching"> backup guard Cole Anthony</a> to drop 35 points on 13-25 shooting with eight rebounds and nine assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who’s averaging just 8.2 points per game, added 24 of his own. While Miami was without Jimmy Butler, there was no excuse for the collapse, as the Magic were also missing Jalen Suggs (16.2 PPG).</p><h2><b>Heat fanbase collectively melts down on social media</b></h2><p>Miami fans can’t believe what they witnessed.</p><p>“No Paolo or Franz Wagner. Heat led by 25 in the 1st half, 22 halfway through the 3rd,” @<a href="https://x.com/HeatCulture13/status/1870660568396316890" rel="noopener">HeatCulture13 tweeted in disbelief.</a> “Scored 8 points in the 4th quarter, Magic come back and win. It’s time to blow everything up. I’ve seen enough.”</p><p>“Worst Heat loss in a very long time,”<a href="https://x.com/WillManso/status/1870660373860479399" rel="noopener"> @WillManso lamented.</a> Leading by 22 points to start the 4th quarter to a depleted Magic team. Miami gets outscored 37-8 in the final quarter. Man. Brutal.”</p><p>“I KNOW I DIDNT just see the Heat get outscored 35-8 in the 4th quarter by the Paololess Franzless Magic,” <a href="https://x.com/BucksShowYo/status/1870660302477590571" rel="noopener">@BucksShowYo said</a>.</p><p>“That Miami Heat Meltdown vs the Magic tonight is a very bad look for Tyler Herro no matter how we’re gonna slice it!!” <a href="https://x.com/SportsLineNews/status/1870669447482036634" rel="noopener">@SportsLineNews said</a>. “This was his opportunity to lead with Jimmy “Buckets” on “Sick Bay”? Epic FAIL!! Thought my mind was playing tricks on me!”</p><p>Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Terry Rozier each turned in decent performances, with 22, 23, and 22 points scored, respectively. However, it wasn’t enough to stave off Orlando’s ferocious comeback.</p><p>The Heat now fall to 13-13 while the injured Magic are thriving at 18-12, just a half-game behind the New York Knicks for third place in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s brutal collapse vs. Magic ends 796-0 NBA streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jimmy-butler-trade-grades-for-espn-hypothetical-suns-heat-76ers-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jimmy Butler trade grades for ESPN’s hypothetical Suns-Heat-76ers deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butler-trade-grades-for-ESPNs-hypothetical-Suns-Heat-76ers-deal.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Jimmy Butler trade grades for ESPN’s hypothetical Suns-Heat-76ers deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T14:30:42-08:00">December 21st, 2:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T14:30:42-08:00">December 21st, 2:30pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/latest-jimmy-butler-zach-lavine-nba-trade-rumors-siegels-scoop">rumors surrounding Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler continue to gain traction</a>, with ESPN’s Kevin Pelton proposing a hypothetical three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. At 35 years old, Butler remains a top-tier player with a reputation for delivering in high-pressure situations, making him an attractive target for multiple teams. While the Suns are prominently featured in this proposal, other reported suitors include the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-spurs-thunder-named-dark-horse-jimmy-butler-trade-suitors">dark-horse candidates like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder</a>.</p><p>The hypothetical trade proposal aims to facilitate Butler’s move to Phoenix, with Bradley Beal <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43041391/how-jimmy-butler-preferred-trade-destinations-land-him" rel="noopener">heading</a> to Miami and Alec Burks joining Philadelphia. The proposed deal is as follows:</p><ul><li><i><b>Suns receive: Jimmy Butler</b></i></li><li><i><b>Heat receive: Bradley Beal, 2031 Suns first-round pick, 2031 Suns second-round pick, 2026 and 2031 Nuggets second-round picks (via Suns)</b></i></li><li><i><b>76ers receive: Alec Burks</b></i></li></ul><h2><b>Trade hurdles complicate Suns-Heat-76ers proposal for Jimmy Butler</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jimmy-Butler-22-is-defended-by-Detroit-Pistons-forward-Ronald-Holland-II-00.jpg"><figcaption>© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While this trade could reshape all three franchises, several obstacles make its execution challenging. Beal’s no-trade clause is a significant hurdle, as he would need to waive it to make the deal possible. Additionally, the Miami Heat, sitting at 13-12 this season, would need to absorb the $110 million owed to Beal after this season, including his $57 million player option for 2026-27. Meanwhile, Butler’s current contract adds another layer of complexity. The Heat star is owed $48.7 million this season, with a player option for $52.4 million in 2025-26, further complicating Miami’s ability to maintain financial flexibility in any potential deal.</p><p>ESPN’s Bobby Marks addressed the financial implications for Miami, stating, “The money left on the Beal contract, plus the Suns’ lack of draft assets (they have only a 2031 first-round pick to trade) make a trade to Phoenix highly unlikely. Instead of taking on the money owed to Beal, the Heat would be better off extending Butler or working out a trade on their terms this summer.”</p><p>For the Suns, who hold a 14-12 record after an up-and-down start to the season, acquiring Butler would be a bold move aimed at solidifying their championship aspirations. Pelton noted that Phoenix would need to send out Alec Burks as part of the deal to avoid triggering a hard cap. “This is basically everything Phoenix can trade for Butler,” Pelton wrote. “The Suns probably would rather not add substantially to their tax bill to take back Burks, who could help Philadelphia with veteran guards Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry in and out of the 76ers’ rotation.”</p><h2><b>Suns trade grade: A</b></h2><p>Phoenix’s potential acquisition of Butler would address their need for a proven postseason performer. Despite similar regular-season production between Butler and Beal, Butler’s track record in critical moments sets him apart. During his six seasons in Miami, Butler has led the Heat to two NBA Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals appearances. This season, Butler is averaging 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. His addition would immediately bolster a Suns team looking to improve upon last season’s disappointing first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><h2><b>Heat trade grade: C</b></h2><p>The Heat, known for their disciplined front-office strategies, would face substantial financial constraints by taking on Beal’s contract. While Beal is a productive scorer, averaging 17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 50% shooting from the field and 36.7% from three, his hefty contract may limit Miami’s ability to build around their core. Additionally, the draft capital offered in this trade — limited to 2031 picks — is unlikely to entice a team like Miami that thrives on flexibility and long-term planning.</p><h2><b>76ers trade grade: B+</b></h2><p>Philadelphia, struggling with a 9-16 record amid injuries to key players like Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, would benefit from adding Alec Burks. The veteran guard, currently averaging 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 45.7% shooting and a career-high 46.9% from three, provides much-needed depth for a rotation depleted by injuries. Burks’ one-year, $3.3 million contract is a low-risk addition that could help stabilize the 76ers’ backcourt as they navigate a challenging season.</p><h2><b>Uncertain outlook in a potential Butler trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jimmy-Butlers-22-looks-on-before-the-game.jpg"><figcaption>© Rhona Wise-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This hypothetical trade highlights the complexities of orchestrating a deal involving a superstar like Jimmy Butler. For Phoenix, Butler would represent a high-reward gamble aimed at elevating their playoff potential. Miami, however, would be saddled with a significant financial burden that may not align with their championship timeline. Philadelphia’s involvement adds balance to the deal, giving them a capable contributor to offset their injury woes. As trade discussions continue, the feasibility of such a move remains uncertain, but the stakes for all three franchises are undeniable.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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Heat News: Get the latest Miami Heat news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

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Heat News: Get the latest Miami Heat news, scores, stats, standings, fantasy games, and more from ClutchPoints.

Latest Heat News

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals important wish after snapping skid in win vs. Nets

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