Heat Eye Four Returns Before Finale At Orlando

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Thursday, October 15

Miami beat Brooklyn 144-128 on Oct. 14 as Antetokounmpo nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in 24 minutes. Four Heat players — Larsson, Adebayo, Kelley and Smith — are all targeting an Oct. 16 return, lining up for the preseason finale at Orlando two days out.

Heat Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Near triple-double

Antetokounmpo put up 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in just 24 minutes as Miami closed out Brooklyn 144-128 on Oct. 14. Wiggins added 19 on 8-of-15 shooting, and the bench matched the starters almost point for point, 55 to 75.

Four to watch

Larsson, Adebayo, Kelley and Smith are each listed with an expected return of Oct. 16 — illness for Larsson, a groin issue for Adebayo, right calf for Kelley and Smith. None of the four played against Brooklyn.

Road trip

Miami closes the preseason schedule Oct. 16 at Orlando, then opens the regular season Oct. 21 against Minnesota on ESPN, with Detroit and Charlotte to follow before the month ends.

Bench carries weight

Hardaway scored 14 off the bench, Conwell 13 and Portis 12, pushing reserve scoring to 55 points. Fontecchio's true shooting sits at 70.8% over his last 10 games, still a small sample but a trend worth tracking.

Bottom line

The record stays 0-0 with the preseason finale still to play, but Miami now has a stacked rotation chasing minutes once Adebayo, Larsson, Kelley and Smith are back. The question entering Oct. 21: who sits when everyone is healthy.

Did Bam Adebayo play against the Nets?

No, a groin issue kept him out, and he's targeting an Oct. 16 return at Orlando.

When does the Heat regular season start?

Miami opens Oct. 21 at home against Minnesota on ESPN, after closing the preseason Oct. 16 at Orlando.