MIAMI — It was as if Jimmy Butler had to offer a reminder.
He still can.
He just chooses when.
So on Tuesday night, 32 points in Charlotte, when a loss to the shorthanded Hornets would have been unconscionable.
Then, on Thursday night night, when the Nets entered having not only won their last five against the Heat but their previous four at Kaseya Center, Butler said enough was enough.
So he loaded up with 34 points through the first three quarters and let his teammates help close it out from there, the 122-115 victory extending the Heat’s winning streak to a league-best seven in a row and upping the record to 8-4.
“A great option for us is getting it in Jimmy’s hands,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
But it wasn’t just Butler, who closed with 36 points, including 10 of 11 from the line, it also was 26 points from Duncan Robinson, who shot 6 of 10 on 3-pointers, and 20 points from Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo said the formula for success has been basic.
“We’re playing together basketball,” he said, “and we’re competing on the other end, getting stops, and running in transition.”
The seven-game winning streak is the Heat’s longest since a seven-game streak in January 2018. The last time the Heat won eight in a row was January 2017.
“Just keep building on it,” Robinson said.
Five Degrees of Heat from Thursday night’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat overcame a 1-of-11 shooting start to take a 30-27 lead into the second period. They then moved to the biggest lead to that point when they led 60-52 at halftime, closing the second quarter on a 14-0 run.
Powered by 18 third-quarter points by Butler, the Heat then pushed to a 14-point third-period lead, before taking a 95-83 advantage into the fourth.
The Heat then extended their lead to 17 with 9:44 to play, allowing Butler to extend his rest, unlike other recent games when he had to be rushed back to the court.
Butler returned with 5:20 to play and the Nets within 113-101.
Brooklyn then closed within 120-113 with 1:22 to play on a Cameron Johnson layup, but Butler responded with a layup on the other end. It never got closer than seven from there.
“At this point, whatever it takes to win,” Butler said.
And so, from a 1-4 start, something better.
“Vibes,” Robinson said, “can change in a locker room very quickly.”
2. Measured moments: Butler continues to play as if taking the temperature of the game.
This time he was up to 16 points and five rebounds at halftime, when there was little of offensive continuity otherwise, the Heat running their offense through him in the post.
He then moved to his 34 points by the end of the third period, even while battling an illness that was apparent during his postgame interview.
“You can see his level of play has picked up,” teammate Kevin Love said.
The 18 points in the third tied Butler’s career high for a quarter as a member of the Heat, having also done it April 4 last season against the Detroit Pistons, in a fourth quarter, and Nov. 7, 2017 in a first quarter against the Phoenix Suns.
“He was able to get to the rim, get to his spots,” Spoelstra said.
3. Martin back: Caleb Martin played for the first time since the season opener, entering with 22.2 seconds left in the first period to a warm ovation.
“Just glad to be able to get a run in,” Martin said.
He entered in a lineup alongside Adebayo, Robinson, Josh Richardson and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Martin had been out with knee pain that had lingered since his offseason workouts.
He then converted his first shot, a 3-point attempt with 9:37 left in the second period, his initial stint lasting 5:45.
Martin played 12:16, closing 2 of 4 from the field for six points, also with two assists and a rebound.
“I thought he fit in great,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t think he tried to overdo those 12 minutes. He just fits in very seamlessly with how we’ve been playing.
“It’s great to have him back and he feels great.”
Adebayo said he knew how much the return meant to Martin.
“Seeing him on the bench,” Adebayo said of the games Martin missed, “he looked like a sad puppy.”
4. Better read: With Martin back, it gave a somewhat better read on where the Heat rotation is headed, even with Tyler Herro out with the Grade 2 ankle sprain he sustained last week. Herro is scheduled to be reevaluated next week.
Haywood Highsmith is now a fixture as the starting power forward, with Love locking in the minutes at backup center, and Robinson continuing to start in place of Herro.
That on Thursday had both Thomas Bryant and Dru Smith shuffled out of the mix.
“I think everybody’s starting to find their comfortable state,” Adebayo said.
Beyond the starting lineup of Butler, Adebayo, Robinson, Highsmith and Kyle Lowry, the primary bench components again were Love, Jaquez and Richardson.
Love closed with seven points, nine rebounds and four assists in his 15:39, the Heat outscoring the Nets by 16 in his minutes.
“I think the transition he’s made at this stage of his career, most former All-Stars can’t or aren’t willing to do it,” Spoelstra said.
“I love the role that he’s carving out right now.”
5. And back out: After the one-game home pitstop, it now is out for five games and nine days on the road, starting with a Saturday night game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
“We’re ready for it,” Robinson said.
Spoelstra said going 0-4 on the just-completed trip does not necessarily portend what comes next.
“That’s done. That’s over with,” he said. “That doesn’t guarantee anything moving forward, other than the fact that we’re building some better habits.”
