Following a Miami victory on Saturday night, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry was asked about a game against his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 35-year-old Lowry gave a veteran answer, noting that the trip to Philly isn’t until Wednesday.
“We’re going to worry about Cleveland,” Lowry said of Monday’s game against the host Cavaliers. “They kicked our butts last time. We’re going to worry about Cleveland right now.”
Lowry is right on all counts. The Cavs drilled the Heat 111-85 the last time they played, Dec. 1.
Then again, Lowry, who had 12 assists and no turnovers in the first half of Saturday’s wire-to-wire win over the Chicago Bulls, is known for his sound judgment — on the court and even while answering questions from the media.
“That was quintessential quarterback play,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Lowry finished the Bulls game with 16 points, a game-high 14 assists and just two turnovers.
Lowry’s experience is especially needed now as the Heat operate without five players. Two of their top three players are injured: Jimmy Butler, day-to-day with a tailbone injury, and Bam Adebayo, out another month-plus due to a thumb injury.
In addition, Caleb Martin fell into COVID-19 protocol three days after posting a career-high 28-point performance on Wednesday.
Fortunately for the Heat, Duncan Robinson scored a season-high 26 points on Saturday.
On Monday, he is expected to break Glen Rice’s franchise record for consecutive games played (174). He tied the mark Saturday.
Spoelstra said outsiders focus too much on Robinson’s 3-point shooting, which is his NBA identity.
“The noise, the narrative, can get so loud that it can get you off task,” Spoelstra said. “Duncan has been playing well for a while. He has been creating good things for us. The shame of it is that he only gets evaluated by how many 3-pointers he hits. But he has been cutting, putting the ball on the floor, creating actions when they trap him. He has improved as a passer.
“He has to listen to the people in our locker room, which he does, and continue to help our team.”
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have won three straight games, one short of their season high.
All three wins in this streak have come by at least 14 points. In Saturday’s 117-103 win over the Kings, Cleveland led by 29 points at halftime after a 45-point second quarter that was one point short of the franchise record.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland had 16 points and a career-high 13 assists on a team that has impressed with its unselfish play.
“Everyone on our team is happy when one of our teammates does something good,” Cleveland rookie Evan Mobley said. “That speaks to our chemistry.”
Mobley, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Month, is a big part of this Cleveland resurgence. Mobley’s five-block game against the Bulls this past Wednesday was the most by a Cavaliers rookie since LeBron James in 2003-04.
In the past three years, the Cavaliers were a combined 99 games under .500, never winning more than 22 contests in any of those seasons. This season, at 16-12, they are one of the best stories in the NBA.
Garland leads the team in scoring (19.0), assists (7.6) and steals (1.3). Jarrett Allen leads the Cavs in rebounds (11.2) and is second in scoring (17.3), and Mobley tops the squad in blocks (1.9) while averaging 14.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.
