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The Miami Heat travel to Boston on Monday night to face the Celtics, the defending NBA champions.
It is a major challenge for the Heat, as their matchup with the Celtics marked the start of many games against good teams this week such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat hold a 1-5 record against teams with a winning record this season. These games will either make or break the team. Can they rise to the occasion and take on the challenge?
“Might as well it’s on the schedule,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “You can’t hide. That’s the thing I love about the NBA. You are going to play people. You’re going to play the good teams, you are going to play the bad teams, and then you see where you are.”
Jimmy Butler’s health is a cause for concern, and it’s always a tough when he’s not on the floor.
“I’m cool,” Butler said. “I’m a little banged up ain’t nothing new.”
Butler has already missed four of the Heat’s first 18 games this season because of a sprained ankle.
“We’ll see how I feel when I wake up in the morning,” Butler said. “Get all the treatment I can get, and hopefully, I’m ready to rock.”
It’s not going to be easy for the Heat. Later this month, the Heat also have to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and Houston Rockets.
To win against these quality teams, they must play great Heat basketball for 48 minutes. Also, Tyler Herro will need to lead the offense in scoring. He must continue to play the way he’s been playing.
Herro has scored 20 or more points in 12 of the Heat’s first 18 games this season.
On Sunday, he passed Tim Hardaway for second on the Heat’s all-time list for three-pointers.
Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
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- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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Mock 4-Team Trade Has Warriors Sending Jonathan Kuminga to Kings, Heat Landing Malik Monk
One of the biggest storylines thus far during the NBA offseason is the ongoing saga between the Golden State Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. Of course, Kuminga’s role with the Warriors in the future is uncertain after he fell out of Steve Kerr’s rotation last season after Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. Because of this, many expected Kuminga to leave in free agency, which would have to come via a sign-and-trade, though there has not been a ton of teams interested in him thus far. According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls are the two likely trade suitors for Kuminga this summer and he released a four-team mock trade on Monday that would send the Warriors’ young forward to the Kings. In the trade, the Warriors would acquire Devin Carter and a 2027 top-eight protected first-round pick from Sacramento and Haywood Highsmith from the Miami Heat. The Kings would land Kuminga from the Warriors while the Heat would acquire Malik Monk from Sacramento and KJ Martin from the Utah Jazz. For the Jazz, they would acquire Terry Rozier, a 2029 first-round pick and 2027 second-round pick from the Heat. This is an interesting trade for every team involved and also one that the Warriors may not be completely interested in due to their high asking price for Kuminga. It has already been reported that the Warriors shut down an offer from the Kings that included Carter, Dario Saric and a protected first-round pick and they would receive the same compensation in this deal with them adding Highsmith instead of Saric. Despite this, adding a young guard in Carter would be a massive boost to the Warriors’ guard depth and also their future while Highsmith would give them a solid forward off the bench. While that may be the case, the Warriors may elect to look elsewhere to find a new home for Kuminga this offseason or they could end up keeping him around as well.
Yankees’ Max Fried Makes Feelings Clear Before Trade Deadline
The New York Yankees acquired several talented veterans after superstar outfielder Juan Soto walked in free agency this past offseason, with southpaw pitcher Max Fried (12-4, 2.62 ERA) chief among them. They signed the latter player to an eight-year, $218 million contract, and he's given them their money's worth thus far. Fried leads New York's pitching staff in wins and ERA. The 31-year-old is also tied for third in baseball in wins, is 11th in ERA, and is 11th with a 1.03 WHIP. Still, the Yankees could use pitching help, given that ace Gerrit Cole is out for the year after getting Tommy John surgery, and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will make his first start of the season on Sunday. Fried was asked after Tuesday's bout with the Tampa Bay Rays if he's anxious to see what New York does ahead of Thursday's Trade Deadline, via SNY. "You've just got to take care of business every day," he said. "That's not something that we can control...We have baseball games to win." The Yankees did just that on Tuesday, beating the Rays 7-5 in a comeback effort. Fried earned his 12th win after allowing four runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings to go with nine strikeouts and two walks. The veteran also tossed a career-high 111 pitches. Over the last few days, the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and fellow third baseman Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. They also traded pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash. New York will face Tampa Bay again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Unlikely Tigers OF has historic game as team's offensive outburst continues
The Detroit Tigers have been unstoppable at the plate lately, and Tuesday night was no different. The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-2, giving them 27 runs in the last three games. A big contributor to their offense on Tuesday was outfielder Wenceel Perez, who joined Sam Crawford (1912), Ossie Vitt (1915) and Ty Cobb (1924, 1916, 1915) as the only four players in franchise history to have a single, double, triple and two stolen bases in the same game. Perez began his historic night with a double off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt in the second inning before adding a single in the fourth. A monster fifth inning put the Tigers ahead 8-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, which set the stage for a three-run sixth inning that included this triple from Perez off Arizona's Jake Woodford to give Detroit a 10-2 lead. Perez scored two more runs, one in the sixth and the other in eighth, to give the Tigers their final two runs in a 12-run outburst. Overall, Perez had three hits in five at-bats, scored four runs and added one RBI to go with his historic statline. Given his performance over the past month, it was surprising to see Perez show out against Arizona. After all, he did not have a single hit the last two games, and he only recorded more than one hit once in 20 games the entire month coming into Tuesday. The Tigers were once the hottest team in baseball when they held a 59-34 record on July 8. Since then, they suffered a slump that includes a six-game losing streak. Suddenly, Detroit has won its last three and scored 10 or more runs in two of those victories. As good as the offense has been, the pitching has been solid as well with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 27-7 during the three-game stretch. Yes, the last two wins have come against a struggling Diamondbacks team that sits fourth in the NL West with a 51-57 record. Still, they have taken care of business and won handily. The next step is getting healthy and having someone to pair with ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Right-hander Chris Paddack was added to the 26-man roster and is set to start Wednesday, while free agent signing Alex Cobb is beginning his rehab assignment. The Tigers will go for the sweep of the Diamondbacks on Wednesday before traveling to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. It will be difficult to top Perez's historic outing from Tuesday, but if momentum is any indication, the Tigers may only be getting started, especially if the pitching depth is there.
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