If the Heat are to gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings after their slow start to the season, they will no doubt have to overcome what looks to be one of the toughest remaining schedules in the NBA.
Starting with the game against the scorching Brooklyn Nets this Sunday (6 p.m.) which marks the halfway point of the regular season schedule, the Miami team is playing 11 of its next 15 meetings against clubs with winning records.
That streak includes back-to-back games against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (25-14) Thursday and Saturday in Miami, the first meetings between the franchises this season.
The Heat have the second-toughest remaining schedule based on winning percentage of teams remaining to face. The other club with a tougher schedule is the Los Angeles Clippers.
Guard Victor Oladipo was clear when asked about the Heat’s push to move up the standings.
“I think things take time,” Oladipo said.
“I know we have a lot of guys coming back from last year, but it’s a new team with a new dynamic. We still have guys who haven’t even taken the pitch yet. So it’s about of a process and we have to be sure that it will move forward. We have to stick together and realize that this is not how you start, but how you end.”
While this second half of the schedule will be tougher, his top-down play in the first half of the season has emerged on one of the easiest schedules in the league.
Miami played the second most affordable program based on the combined winning percentage of its opponents and without considering the home/road factor.
“He’s very competitive,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
“Basically I’ve counted 17 teams that are where we are and with a difference of two or three losses. So you can’t feel sorry for where you think you should be in the table and we just have to do facing reality and accepting the challenge before us.
Of course, with so many teams struggling with injuries, the strength of those rankings will depend on who is available to play every night.
“We are not happy where we are, but there is a lot of parity in the league.”
THE HIGHSMITH OF HEAT GUARANTEE
The Heat secured the remaining $1.1 million on Haywood Highsmith’s partially guaranteed contract by keeping him on the payroll past the 5 p.m. deadline on Saturday.
Highsmith will receive his full $1.8 million salary for this season.
His contract also includes an unsecured salary of $1.9 million for next season.
With Highsmith’s full salary guaranteed, Miami is about $200,000 away from crossing the luxury tax threshold.
That doesn’t leave enough room for Miami to sign another player on a standard contract for the rest of the season.
At 26, Highsmith is averaging 4.3 points on 38.3 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range, with 3.7 rebounds and one steal per game in 27 appearances (five starts).
He came out undrafted from the University of Wheeling in 2018.
Highsmith was the only player on the Heat’s roster not fully guaranteed.
INJURY REPORT
The injury report for Sunday’s game against the Nets lists 10 players. Nikola Jovic (back), Duncan Robinson (finger surgery) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle surgery) will not play.
Caleb Martin (quad strain) is questionable.
Bam Adebayo (bruised thigh), Jamal Cain (G League), Udonis Haslem (Achilles tendonitis) and Tyler Herro (back spasms) are listed as questionable.
Dewayne Dedmon (plantar fasciitis) and Gabe Vincent (knee) are likely.
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