Miami, FL
Bizarro Heat: Bam Adebayo makes the 3-pointers and Duncan Robinson delivers the assists
PHILADELPHIA – After all the 3-pointers Sunday in Detroit, including the one that made Duncan Robinson the fastest NBA player to 1,000 career conversions, the moment coach Erik Spoelstra spotlighted afterward was the pass from Robinson for a key late dunk by Bam Adebayo.
That Duncan Robinson can shoot has become a given. That Robinson can pass has opened new vistas for both the Miami Heat and Robinson in his sixth season.
“Just trying to be more of a basketball player,” Robinson said, with the Heat turning their attention to Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Sunday, in addition to his seven 3-pointers against the Pistons, there also were five assists from Robinson, including two in the decisive fourth quarter.
In some ways, it’s almost become Bizarro Heat – Adebayo making a winning 3-pointer, as he did at Sunday’s buzzer at Little Caesars Arena, Robinson making decisive assists.
Averaging three assists this season, Robinson had not averaged more than 1.8 in his previous five seasons.
But that mostly was when he was stationed – almost anchored – at the 3-point. As the two-point attempts have increased this season, to more than twice his previous average, so, too, have the assists grown.
“When you get in the paint, a lot of times the right read just presents itself, depending on the situation,” Robinson said, with Sunday’s assist to Adebayo a perfect example. “So I’m trusting my instincts to just be a complete basketball player.”
Robinson, who turns 30 next month, said there wasn’t a specific goal of upping the assists.
“It’s been more so organically, just trying to be more of a complete player,” he said. “That just kind of tends to happen when you get a little bit more aggressive putting the ball on the ground.”
The irony is that any time Robinson previously bypassed a 3-point attempt, the staff made clear why he was on the court.
Now, there is the view of more than a specialist.
“I think the staff’s done a great job in just trusting me and allowing me to be a complete player,” he said. “And that’s kind of empowered me to explore different vistas throughout the course of the game.
“I think they just trust me a little bit more. And I’m at the point in my career where they just trust my instincts and my ability to be a basketball player and what I feel and what I read out there.”
As the roster has evolved, so, Robinson said, has his menu.
“It’s a combination of things,” he said. “Part of it is just being a little bit of a playmaker, just in the actions that I’m involved in, and not just somebody that comes in and shoots. Part of it is just reading the game, recognizing situations.”
And part of it is paying it forward, appreciating how on-time, on-target passes have benefited him over these six seasons, with a goal of easing the scoring of teammates.
“I’ve been a beneficiary of a lot of unselfish play and good passes and stuff like that,” he said. “Bam and I have a connection that we’ve been working on for a while now.”
That payoff came with the assist for the Adebayo dunk that put the Heat ahead with 5:08 to play in Sunday’s victory in Detroit.
Essentially doing for others as others have done for him,
“I appreciate a good pass, a good on-time, on-target, seams-in-line, shooter’s-pocket pass. I appreciate that,” he said amid this Heat four-game trip that concludes Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “So, of course you try to reciprocate that.
“Just having another person out there who can playmake, it’s just going to be a different version of me. I think that’s good for the team.”
Should the CFP committee rethink the playoff schedule format?
Extended breaks and logistical challenges have reopened questions about whether the College Football Playoff committee should adjust the playoff schedule format.
Mississippi football’s Nick Cull avoided an ejection during the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8.
As Malachi Toney reeled in a catch from Carson Beck at the Miami 49 in the first quarter, he was hit by Cull in a helmet-to-helmet collision. Right away, the officials flagged Cull for targeting, with both Toney and Cull staying down on the field with an injury.
After officials reviewed the play, the call on the field was overturned, as the officials determined that Cull did not launch and the collision seemed to be incidental. Replay assistant Matt Austin concurred with the call on the field.
The play had a major impact on the game as well. If the call had been upheld, Miami would have had the ball at the Ole Miss 34-yard line with a chance to expand its 3-0 lead. However, a few plays later, the Hurricanes were forced to punt from the 49-yard line.
On the first play of the second quarter, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacey scored on a 73-yard run to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.
Because he was not called for targeting, Cull was not ejected from the game, which means Ole Miss will have him for the remainder of the game, if he can clear the concussion protocol. He was in the tent following the play.
Cull has 15 total tackles and three pass deflections this season for the Rebels.
Meanwhile, Toney went to the medical tent briefly for the Hurricanes, but returned to the game.
A crash involving an unmarked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office vehicle was reported in Northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday morning, and the morning commute was impacted as a result.
Few details have been released, but the crash was reported in the area of Northwest 79th street and Interstate 95.
Video from the scene showed that the vehicles had heavy damage.
The sheriff’s office said the crash also involved a civilian vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
No other information was released.
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.
Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Tyler Herro: Available – Toe
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle
Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
TIMBERWOLVES
Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot
Joan Beringer: Out – G League
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: TV: Peacock,
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
TIMBERWOLVES
G Donte DiVincenzo
G Anthony Edwards
C Rudy Gobert
F Jaden McDaniels
F Julius Randle
Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198
Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)
QUOTABLE
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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