It was supposed to be Haslem asking the Heath-Reading Eagle questions again

Observations and other interesting notes from Saturday’s 119-113 loss to the Kings:

– Maybe that was the opposite of why Udonis Haslem is on the list.

– Erik Spoelstra effectively used the 42-year-old Heat captain in a rotation role.

– Both in the first quarter and in the third.

– But it is also related to why the question arose, perhaps, of better use of the list.

– Because if not Haslem, then perhaps at that moment it could have been Markieff Morris or Montrezl Harrell.

– Or DeMarcus Cousins ​​(but definitely not Dwight Howard or Hassan Whiteside).

– This will probably be an exception.

– Dewayne Dedman is out due to an upper respiratory infection (and also dealing with a foot problem).

– And with Omer Yurtseven, still dealing with an ankle injury and returning to South Florida.

– But it also showed the limits Spoelstra is willing to go with 19-year-old Nikola Jovic at this stage.

– Still, with Dedman being uneven in his minutes and no guarantee of what Yurtseven can be, Haslem seems like the current backup by default.

– What risks bringing Bem Adebayo underground.

– It was Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry in the Heat’s top five again.

– This game was Adebayo’s 350th game of the regular season.

– Undrafted rookie Jamaal Cain was inactive and was scheduled to be sent to the G League team in the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

– Dedman, Yurtseven and Viktor Oladipo were also inactive.

– Then it got interesting with the Heat’s first substitution, when Spoelstra came out with Haslem when Adebayo was called for his second foul midway through the first period.

– Max Strus was the second substitute.

– And then Gabe Vincent as the third and Duncan Robinson as the fourth.

– After all, a symbolic moment for Jovic in the first half.

– Robinson remains largely a marginal player.

– And Jovich mostly remains open only when necessary.

– Sioux Falls time may still be in his future if the thermal energy rotation is complete.

– Butler’s third free throw attempt moved him ahead of Eddie Jones for No. 1 on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Butler’s fourth free throw passed Stephon Marbury for 89th on the NBA’s all-time list.

– With his third assist, Butler passed current assistant coach Anthony Carter for 12th on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Butler also passed James Johnson for 25th on the Heat’s all-time defensive tackle list.

– Era’s third 3-point attempt moved him behind Kelly Olynyk for 12th on the Heat’s all-time list.

– Erro’s third 3-pointer tied Dan Majerle for 11th on the all-time scoring list.

– Lowry’s fourth rebound was the 4,500th of his career.

– The Kings entered looking for their first win under new coach Mike Brown.

– Before the game, Brown said it was time to strengthen his rotation.

– “Just like I ask guys to keep trying to get better, hopefully sooner rather than later I have to do the same, so it’s no different for me,” Brown said. “I’ve got to try to increase the rotation a little bit and give the guys sitting on the court a chance to see what they can do after getting some rhythm.”

– Still, he scored 10 points in the first quarter, including former Heat forward KZ Okpala.

– Although not for long.

– The game was the Heat’s first of nine starts this season before 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT), the most for the Heat since 2017-18, when they also had nine.

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