The Miami Heat are 30-25 at the All-Star break following Wednesday night’s road win/loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries to Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson, as well as Jimmy Butler’s excused absence from the team to attend to a family matter, have created a speed bump in Miami’s momentum. But Butler should be back after the break and Rozier and Richardson are expected to return within a few weeks.
The Heat are deep, but head coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to shorten his rotations in advance of this final playoff push. Even with the injuries, Spoelstra played just eight players before garbage time of Tuesday’s win in Milwaukee. That continues a trend of Spoelstra going with his best players as the Heat attempt to climb the Eastern Conference standings.
After the All-Star break, when the season resumes, that playoff push will pick up even more momentum. Spoelstra is going to rely more on his most reliable players and do less experimenting.
