MIAMI — The preferred approach when your starting point guard and Sixth Man Award candidate are out probably is not to then see your leading man ejected.
But that is where the Miami Heat stood late in Wednesday night’s second quarter, with Kyle Lowry missing a second consecutive game due to personal reasons, Tyler Herro in quarantine after entering NBA COVID-19 protocols earlier in the day ... and then Jimmy Butler turning some decidedly bad language into his second-quarter ejection.
Against that backdrop, the Heat found themselves in a tie game midway through the fourth quarter, until Bam Adebayo said enough was enough, upping his play on both ends in his second game back after a seven-week absence to help fuel the Heat to a 104-92 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at FTX Arena.
While reserve forward Caleb Martin kept the Heat afloat with a 26 points and eight rebounds, it was Adebayo who turned aggressive when needed most, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds, with half his scoring coming in the fourth.
There also were 15 Heat points from Max Strus and 12 points and eight rebounds from Dewayne Dedmon.
The Trail Blazers, lacking Damian Lillard, Normal Powell and Larry Nance Jr., got 27 points from Anfernee Simons and 24 from CJ McCollum.
Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday’s game:
— 1. Short night: Butler was ejected with 2:28 to play in the second period, after a successful basket and a foul called on the Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic.
An incensed Butler, who had not converted a basket until that play, immediately complained to referee Mousa Dagher, who had little option based on Butler’s ire but to call the technical.
Then, with Butler still angered, but moving away from the confrontation, referee Courtney Kirkland signed the second technical foul on Butler, which mandated an immediate ejection.
It was similar to Lowry’s ejection with 1:14 left in the second quarter of the Heat’s 115-109 victory in Portland two weeks earlier, also for two technical fouls.
With Butler unable to attempt his free throw for the 3-point play, the Blazers had the right to select a replacement shooter. They selected Chris Silva, who entered 8 of 9 from the line this season, but had not seen action to that point.
Silva missed the free throw and then committed a foul six seconds later so Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could sub him out, .
Butler closed with four points, four assists and three rebounds in his 15:14.
— 2. Closing time: Up 10 earlier, the Heat went into the fourth quarter down 80-78, after leading 58-56 at halftime.
Later, from an 87-87 tie, Adebayo then got aggressive with six consecutive points that staked the Heat to a 95-87 lead with 3:46 to play.
Playing closing time in a lineup that also featured Martin, Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent, Adebayo played as a difference maker on a night wing support was severely limited.
From there, an Adebayo assist for a Strus 3-pointer gave the Heat a 100-90 lead with 2:01 remaining, which effectively ended it.
— 3. Butler 2.0: With Butler out, Martin started the second half in his place and scored 15 of the Heat’s 20 third-quarter points.
Whether it was a pull-up 3-pointer or a driving baseline dunk for a 3-point play, Martin was everywhere for the Heat in the third, adding five rebounds in the period.
The only other Heat players to score in the third were Duncan Robinson on a 3-pointer and Vincent on a 20-foot pull-up shot.
Martin was 4 of 6 from the field for the Heat in the third quarter, the rest of the Heat 2 of 13.
— 4. Strus time: With Herro out, Strus got the call as sixth man.
To say Strus got to work quickly would be an understatement. He entered with 4:50 to play in the opening period and converted a 3-pointer with 4:48 left in the quarter.
It was the second consecutive game Strus played as a reserve to Robinson, who was returned to the first five once Butler and Adebayo both were back in the mix.
Strus opened 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 on 3-pointers.
— 5. Guy’s night out: With Lowry missing a second consecutive game for personal reasons, and with Herro also out, Kyle Guy was the backup point guard of choice, after Vincent again opened in place of Lowry.
It was Guy’s first action in four games and first appearance since being converted Sunday to a two-way contract.
A 17-foot pull-up jumper by Guy with 1:22 left in the opening period was his first basket at FTX Arena, with his previous six Heat appearances coming on the road.
