OKC Thunder face inspired Miami Heat club – preview

Key matchup:

While the Heat looks to get back on track and erase the memory of week four from their minds there were some positives occurring on the trip.

Kyle Lowry had taken more of a back seat to the offense as he transitioned into his new team looking to build chemistry first. That meant his focus was on playmaking and defense.

But, on the trip, especially once Butler was sidelined the bulldog synonymous with his Raptors tenure emerged. Although Miami lost to the Clippers he scored 22 points (of 25) in the fourth quarter trying to will his team to the win.

The good news for the Thunder is Lowry doesn’t perform as well against tall point guards like Giddey or defenders with muscle (Lu Dort). That said, he’s wily and is just as apt to block out a center or take a charge in the paint as he is to try to go one on one versus  Gilgeous-Alexander or Giddey.

Getting Lowry under control early both in terms of reducing his passing lanes and not letting him jump out to a quick scoring start are key.

The dilemma for Mark Daigneault will be who Dort guards if Butler returns for this match. If both he and Lowry are in the mix that will necessitate someone else taking on one or the other of the Heat playmaker-scorers.

Another key will be how well Darius Bazley defends Bam Adebayo. Neither team utilizes the traditional big man center which gives Adebayo a major advantage.