An analysis of Sunday night’s Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday night’s 134-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls:

– So Pelle Larsson for Giannis Antetokounmpo straight up?

– Of course not.

– Because the Heat also would have to add salary to make the trade work.

– Not, not  a suggestion of Larsson as any sort of make-or-break addition to a potential Heat bid for Giannis.

– But when considering the Heat’s young players, including the travails of Kel’el Ware, the real story might be what the Heat have made out of Larsson.

– At this point, too efficient and effective to seemingly be moved out of the starting lineup.

– On Saturday, 22 points to keep the Heat afloat.

– On Sunday, a sizzling start to get the Heat going.

– For those unfamiliar with Larsson’s pathway to this moment, he wasn’t even the Heat’s own selection in the second round of the 2024 draft, when he arrived out of Arizona..

– Instead, he actually was part of a three-team trade with the Rockets and Hawks.

– In that deal, the Heat acquired the draft rights to Larsson (selected No.  44 overall) and cash considerations from the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Nikola Djurisic (No. 43 overall) in a three-team trade in which Atlanta sent AJ Griffin to Houston for the No. 44 pick in the draft.

– So a roundabout arrival.

– But nothing roundabout about this rise to more than draft afterthought.

– Only effort, energy and a few whacks in the face along the way.

– At the moment, Larsson very much looks like a rotation player for a play-in team.

– The next question, when it comes to how he is valued going forward, is whether he can be more.

– The past two games, and essentially, this season, have indicated there is something there.

– Even from the depths of the second round.

– At the moment, there no longer is a debate when it comes to Larsson or Nikola Jovic.

– Which, on one hand, is a concern.

– But also, on the other hand, an unexpected gain.

– With Davion Mitchell back but Norman Powell still out, the Heat opened with a lineup of Larsson, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Simone Fontrecchio and Mitchell.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Dru Smith entered together as the Heat’s first two reserves.

– Kasparas Jakucionis, who had been starting in place of Mitchell, was next off the Heat bench.

– Ware then entered for Adebayo with 5:13 left in the opening period.

– Three early Jakucionis fouls then had Myron Gardner back in the rotation a night after his first NBA start.

– Even with it being the third consecutive game against the Bulls, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it felt like three different scenarios, with so many different player permutations in the three games.

– ‘Well, it’s a different team, right?” he said of Sunday’s matchup. “Like each team that we faced in the Bulls is going to be different and we’re a little bit different in each of these games, as well. It’s unique. I love all the different challenges that are presented in this Association.”

– Of losing Saturday night to the Bulls, Spoelstra said. “We need to have a response.”

– They did.

– If any aspect of the unique scheduling was an issue, Spoelstra pointed to having an 8 p.m. game Saturday and then a 6 p.m. start Sunday.

– “In terms of the three in a row, I don’t think it’s that particularly, like, crazy in my mind,” he said. “I think it is a quick turnaround for both teams. So we’re both on an even playing field. But when we finish an 8 o’clock game and all of a sudden you see guys warming up right now, that feels a little bit unique.”

– The cold reality of the NBA is that Jevon Carter helped boost the Bulls over the Heat on Saturday night and then was released after the game, as part of Chicago’s acquisition of Dario Saric.

– ”I’m hopeful that something will break for him,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said pregame. “But I couldn’t be any more grateful to him, thankful for him, just the way he handled himself, the way he worked, the way he always kept himself ready.”

– Donovan added, “Sometimes the timing of these things are difficult because you don’t know when it’s going to happen.”

– Donovan said players stressing over Thursday’s NBA trading deadline misses the point.

– “In my opinion, you waste a lot of time worrying or thinking about what may or may not happen, you know,” Donovan said. “And these guys work really, really hard. They get a chance to do something they have always done since they’ve been kids. They’ve just been really good at it and worked really hard at it and became professionals. So what we’ve got control over is how we play, how we treat each other, how we play together.”