OKLAHOMA CITY — Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 115-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder:
– It sure seems like Erik Spoelstra has a decision to make.
– One regarding the elephant who wasn’t in the room in this competitive one against the Thunder.
– With Terry Rozier out of the mix due to the stomach virus that has been terrorizing the Heat roster, the Heat looked much more fluid on offense.
– And also solid in defense.
– Now there is Davion Mitchell to attack with greater purpose on both ends.
– And rotation room for Haywood Highsmith to bolster on defense when needed.
– Wednesday night, the decision was made easy for Spoelstra.
– But if it is about playing the best, the most deserving, it will be interesting to see what comes next when Rozier again is available.
– In this one, the bench of Highsmith, Alec Burks, Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson stated a solid case.
– Even with the late wobble.
– With Tyler Herro back from his stomach illness, the Heat got to what likely will be their starting lineup going forward, of Herro, Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
– Also back available from a stomach illness was Jaime Jaquez Jr.
– Out due to that same issue were Duncan Robinson and Rozier.
– Going in, Spoelstra said of the Herro-Mitchell backcourt pairing, “We like the potential and the possibilities. I think we all just want to see it. Davion brings that bulldog mentality. He wants to get the ball to other guys. I think they complement each other.”
– Burks remained in the rotation after starting in Monday night’s home loss to the Celtics, entering with Jovic as Wednesday’s first substitution.
– With Robinson and Rozier out of the mix, Highsmith was third off the Heat bench, after being held out Monday night against the Celtics.
– Pelle Larsson followed for nine deep.
– That left Jaquez out of the mix.
– Even with Robinson and Rozier out, Spoelstra did not get to newcomer Kyle Anderson in his rotation.
– But a respect for the possibilities remain.
– “Kyle has been a winner and a winning player in this league for a while,” Spoelstra said pregame. “He’s played on a lot of good teams. I think that’s for good reason. He’s a unique player. So if you try to fit him into a traditional box, that’s not the type of player that he is.”
– Spoelstra added, “He’s a little bit unorthodox. But his skill set is pretty diverse. That’s the part that intrigues me. Defensively, he can do a lot of things, guard multiple positions. But offensively, his ability to handle and his IQ for the game and his ability to make the game easier for other guys is something that I think this team can use.”
– Spoelstra was asked pregame if he sees the Thunder valuing the same aspects of the Heat culture.
– “I think it’s not even what we value or I value. It’s winning basketball that they’re playing,” he said. “They’ve built a strong culture here for a long time. They’ve been able to rebuild with different personnel. That’s probably a similarity with our organization.”
– It was Herro’s 75th consecutive regular-season game scoring in double figures. As a means of comparison, Jimmy Butler’s longest such Heat streak is 63 consecutive games. The franchise record is 294 by LeBron James.
– Herro entered 25 points shy of Tim Hardaway to tie for 11th place on the franchise all-time scoring list.
– Adebayo’s first steal tied Glen Rice for fourth on the franchise all-time list.
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