The short-handed Miami Heat just keeps winning.
Playing without three starters in Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker but buoyed by the return of Jimmy Butler, the Heat (21-13) earned a 93-83 win over the even more short-handed Magic (7-27) at FTX Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Playing without multiple starters for the past four weeks, the Heat has won seven of its past nine games.
The first half was rough for both teams, as Miami entered halftime ahead 42-39 despite shooting only 37.8 percent from the field and 2 of 16 on threes in the first two quarters.
But the Heat pulled away in the third quarter behind 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range in the period. Miami led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and entered the fourth with a 12-point advantage.
The Magic was never able to make a run to get back into the game in the final period, as the Heat’s lead grew to as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter.
The Magic’s offense struggled, scoring only 83 points on 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 10-of-32 (31.3 percent) shooting on threes while committing 19 turnovers.
In his return from a tail bone contusion that forced him to miss the previous eight games, Butler finished with 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
The Heat will close its four-game homestand on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards. Miami is 3-0 during the homestand.
Here are five takeaways from the Heat’s win over the Magic:
Butler returned and his presence was felt immediately with his ability to draw fouls.
Not only did Butler miss the previous eight games, but he also sat out the 12 of the previous 13 games because of the tail bone contusion suffered in late November.
During the 13-game stretch that Butler missed all but one game, the Heat averaged an the fewest free-throw attempts in the NBA at 16.2 per game. It doesn’t help that Adebayo also was unavailable for most of that span.
Before Butler bruised his tail bone on a hard fall during a Nov. 27 win over the Chicago Bulls, the Heat ranked third in the NBA with 22.1 free-throw attempts per game.
Miami again finished with only 18 free throws on Sunday, but Butler’s impact was felt immediately in this area. He drew multiple shooting fouls to finish 7 of 9 from the foul line against the Magic.
Butler entered averaging the third-most free throws in the league with 8.3 per game this season behind only Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.3 per game) and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (10.1).
But even with Butler back, the Heat was still forced to use its 11th different starting lineup of the season.
That’s because three starters were still out Sunday in Adebayo (thumb surgery), Lowry (COVID-19 protocols) and Tucker (lower left leg nerve inflammation). Dewayne Dedmon, who started the previous 12 games in place of the injured Adebayo, also missed his first game after spraining his left knee in Thursday’s win over the Detroit Pistons.
With those four starting options out, the Heat began Sunday’s game with a lineup of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Butler and Omer Yurtseven. This group had not played together this season before Sunday.
The Heat’s bench rotation included Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Udonis Haslem and Marcus Garrett.
Herro was ejected with 29.2 seconds left in the third quarter after he was called for his second technical of the game for arguing a call. He finished with a season-low two points but dished out eight assists in 19 minutes.
Along with missing Adebayo, Lowry, Tucker and Dedmon, the Heat was also without Markieff Morris (whiplash) and Victor Oladipo (right knee injury recovery).
That left the Heat with 11 available players on Sunday.
With Adebayo and Dedmon both out, the Heat’s frontcourt rotation included a rookie making his first start and a 41-year-old veteran. It worked.
Yurtseven made his first NBA start on Sunday, finishing with career-highs in points points (16), rebounds (15) and minutes (33), By the end of the first half, he already had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
While starting was new for Yurtseven, he has received consistent playing time for the past month because of the Heat’s injury issues. He has played in 14 straight games and has logged double-digit minutes in seven straight games.
Minutes aren’t new for Haslem either. He has totaled the second-most minutes in Heat history during his 19 NBA seasons — only behind Dwyane Wade.
But playing this much at this stage of his career is new for Haslem. He played in his third straight game on Sunday for the first time since December 2017.
Haslem again contributed solid minutes, recording eight points and five rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
During a 6:34 minute stint that began in the first quarter and spilled into the second quarter, Haslem scored six points and grabbed two rebounds.
The Heat’s other frontcourt option, KZ Okpala, did not play Sunday.
The Heat could have to rely on the Yurtsevel-Haslem rotation at center for a few weeks with Adebayo not expected back until mid-January and Dedmon set to miss the next one to two weeks. The eventual return of Tucker and Morris would also help bolster Miami’s frontcourt.
Martin made his return Sunday and played well after missing time because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. But the Heat’s COVID-19 issues aren’t done.
Along with Lowry missing his first game after entering protocols on Saturday, Heat assistant coach Caron Butler and head athletic trainer Jay Sabol were not with the team for Sunday’s contest because they also entered protocols.
Enhanced COVID-19 testing began Sunday and will last through Jan. 8. Players will be tested on game days and practice days except for those who received their booster shot 14-plus days earlier or recently recovered from the virus, and coaches and team staff will also need to be tested on game days and practice days during this two-week period.
In Martin’s return from protocols, he finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. Martin entered protocols on Dec. 11 and missed seven games after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Magic was even more short-handed than the Heat.
Orlando, which entered with the NBA’s second-worst record, ruled out 13 players for Sunday’s game in Miami because of a combination of COVID-19 and injury issues.
The Magic has six players currently in health and safety protocols — Mo Bamba, Ignas Brazdeikis, BJ Johnson, Mychal Mulder, Chuma Okeke and Terrence Ross. Orlando was also without Moritz Wagner because he’s reconditioning after missing time due to protocols, and Michael Carter-Williams, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, E’Twaun Moore, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs because of injuries.
That left the Magic starting two players who have spent most of this season in the G League — Hassani Gravett and Admiral Schofield, who were both signed recently to 10-day contracts as COVID-19 replacements.
