Jimmy Butler saves Miami in Overtime win vs Charlotte

The Miami Heat came into this game with a record of 4-7, and it is safe to say that these next two home games against an injured and inexperienced Charlotte Hornets team have become must wins with tougher games ahead. Though it was closer than it should have been the Heat were able to gut out the first game with a 117-112 overtime victory thanks to the heroics of superstar Jimmy Butler down the stretch.

As has been the case throughout this season the Miami Heat have struggled to find an identity on either side of the ball. It was more of the same in this one. Even with six different players scoring in double figures, the offense felt extremely stagnant at times and would easily lose any rhythm it gathers after a few solid possessions. That can definitely be the case when you are without your second best scorer in Tyler Herro, but Charlotte was without players like LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward as well. Butler was the only Heat player that was able to create openings consistently as he finished with a game high 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting including 13-of-15 from the charity stripe to go with 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a team-high +11.

Butler was showing his all-around game and leadership throughout this contest. Whenever Miami would start to look sloppy and allow Charlotte back in the game, it was Jimmy who would come through with clutch bucket after clutch bucket. He would use his physicality to bully Charlottes smaller guard and wing defenders to the rim and draw fouls when the Heat needed it most. Most of those 15 free throw attempts came in the best moments as it would slow things down for Miami and halt momentum the Hornets had been building. Jimmy Butler continues to prove that he is that guy, the front office just needs to get him some help.

Bam Adebayo had a very solid game overall. His energy was good and I'm loving the aggression he continues to show on the offensive side of the ball. I can tell he's truly trying to improve on that end there's just a mental part of it he has to overcome. It is going to take time for him to feel comfortable taking those kind of shots, but he is getting there. His mid-range is coming together and even though his touch comes and goes I'll trust him when it matters most. The only thing that has been a consistent negative for Bam is his ball control.

Regardless, Bam had a dominant 18 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals in tonights win. His efficiency wasn't great (6-of-15) and he turned the ball over five times, but his impact for this team goes beyond box score watching. When the Heat are healthy they are able to manage minutes without any one of Lowry, Herro or Butler on the floor, but when Bam sits they can't hold a lead. Dewayne Dedmon does what he can, but there is just no consistency with him and his defense and rebounding are below average at this point. Now with the recent news that Omer Yurtseven possibly needing season-ending surgery the Heat will be needing even more help in the front court if they want to take this season seriously.

Also did Kyle Lowry even play tonight? It's crazy that he had 38 minutes played and his presence was nowhere to be found. It feels like this is what we're going to see from our point guard the entire season. We'll get one solid game where it feels like Lowry was the catalyst to the win or at least a bright spot in a loss, but then we'll get a performance where he is an absolute no show. Even with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists to his name this game easily falls in the no show category. Same things goes for Max Strus, who had one of his worst shooting performances of his career. He shot 2-of-11 from downtown, and just couldn't find his rhythm. He even air balled a shot that could have shifted momentum for Miami in the fourth quarter. All shooters have off nights, so I'm expecting a bounce back game from him when these teams meet again on Saturday.

The bench unit continues to play well since Coach Spoelstra tightened the rotation to Vincent, Robinson and Dedmon due to injuries. They still don't have a player that can lead the 2nd unit like Herro did last season, as it was supposed to be a rejuvenated Oladipo, but they are contributing where they can. Duncan showed off his improved mid-range game as he finished off a few floaters and pull up jumpers that the defense wasn't expecting and his playmaking has been extremely underrated. Vincent continues to be one of the best perimeter defenders on the team, just need his shot to start falling again. Overall, they are doing what they can with two big rotation pieces missing.

This team has clearly shown flaws and I'm not necessarily sure they can make a move that can turn the needle enough to get us in contention. However, there are a few positives that this team has shown that makes me believe they just need the right tweek. First, they take really good care of the ball as they average just 13.7 turnover a game (7th in NBA). Second, they are the best free throw shooting team in the league at 86.7%. Though they don't get there often enough to make that a real strength yet I feel like Bam's mid-range game will eventually change that as the season progresses.

Next up, the Miami Heat will take on the Charlotte Hornets again Saturday, November 12th at the FTX Arena. Need to come out with a higher sense of urgency against a much weaker opponent after just barely getting by this one. With tougher games coming up in the schedule the Heat need to take care of business now.