All Erik Spoelstra wanted for his team was a chance.
Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry were back with the Miami Heat on Friday night, giving them all the chance they needed.
So two nights after their road game against the San Antonio Spurs was postponed due to not having the required eight available players, the Heat pushed past the Houston Rockets, 120-110, Friday night, despite playing in the absences of Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker, Max Strus, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent and others either because of injury of COVID-19 protocols.
Butler, who had been dealing with an ankle sprain, led the Heat with a season-high 37 points. He was supported by 16 points from Tyler Herro, 17 from newcomer Kyle Guy and a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double from center Omer Yurtseven.
Five Degrees of Heat from Friday’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat led by 18 in the first quarter, 25 in the second quarter, again by 18 in the third, but the lead was down to 101-95 with 8:21 to play, after a 13-1 Houston surge.
Butler then stepped up with a 3-point play, Yurtseven with a key block, and then Butler with another 3-point play.
Through it all, the Rockets climbed within 107-102 with 4:41 left.
The Heat from there pushed their lead back to 12, holding on from there.
2. Back at it: With Wednesday’s postponement in San Antonio, it turns out that Butler didn’t miss any time with the ankle sprain that had him listed as out for the game against the Spurs.
Back from the injury sustained in the closing minutes of Tuesday night’s home victory over the Detroit Pistons, Butler scored 19 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer that closed the scoring in the second quarter.
He was up to 27 going into the fourth quarter.
3. Easy decision: Spoelstra’s lineup decision was relatively straightforward. He started the only five he had left from his standard roster: Butler, Lowry, Herro, Yurtseven and Caleb Martin.
They were the only available players who had appeared in a game for the Heat previously this season.
It was the first time Lowry and Butler had played together in the same game since Dec. 6.
It added up to a 41-30 Heat led at the end of the first quarter, the Heat’s highest-scoring first quarter of the season and 74-60 halftime lead, the Heat’s highest-scoring half of the season.
4. Right choice: When Spoelstra went to his bench, he opted for Guy as his first reserve.
It proved to be a prudent choice.
Guy’s nine first-quarter points were his career high for an NBA quarter, with his previous high eight.
His 15 first-half points surpassed his previous high in an NBA half of nine.
Guy had appeared in 34 games NBA games, all with the Sacramento Kings, entering Friday.
Guy tied his previous career high of 17 points for Sacramento against the Golden State Warriors on March 25, 2021.
5. His name is Rio: Why, yes, that was Mario Chalmers in his familiar Heat No. 15, back with the team. However, he did not enter.
“Happy to be back. Thankful to be back,” he said, as posted on Heat social media. “It’s been a lot of grinding, a lot of hard work, a lot of unpleasant situations and circumstances. But I kept fighting, I stayed with it, stayed through it.
“That’s pretty much what Heat culture is. It’s making a way out of nothing, find the best out of any situation. And coming out on top. I’m just going to tell Heat Nation I’m back, thank the Heat organization for another chance and I’m just going to make the most of it, have fun.”
