NBA rewind: Heat find winning combo amid Butler trade rumors

After two nights of NBA Cup quarterfinals games, the league returns to its regular programming until Saturday – when the league heads to Las Vegas.

That’s when the NBA will host the semifinals, starting with a matinee showcasing the upstart Atlanta Hawks (14-12) against the Milwaukee Bucks (13-11), who have won eight of their last 10.

Then the nightcap in Vegas features a pair of young, athletic teams, and the current top two seeds in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets (17-8) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5).

That all leads to the NBA Cup final, which will feature the winners from each conference, and will take place Tuesday.

Here are some takeaways from the seventh week of the NBA regular season.

Amid Jimmy Butler trade rumors, Heat playing their best basketball of season

Star forward Jimmy Butler’s name popped up in trade rumors this week. Despite that, the Miami Heat (12-10) are playing their best hoops of the year.

After tinkering with different starting lineups, coach Erik Spoelstra appears to have found a winning combo: Butler, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and defensive stopper Haywood Highsmith. Of all five-man lineups with at least 115 minutes on the floor, this unit leads the entire NBA in net rating (20.8).

The starting lineup the Boston Celtics used prior to the return of center Kristaps Porziņģis, by comparison, ranks second (20.6).

Herro, the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is easily playing the best basketball of his career, averaging career highs in points (24.2) and assists (5). The bigger development is his shot selection. Herro has virtually eliminated the less efficient mid-range portfolio, opting for drives and 3s. The result has been increased efficiency; Herro is averaging career bests in field goal percentage (47.7%), 3-point percentage (42.2%) and effective field goal percentage (59.6%).

Miami has won three in a row and is 7-3 over its last 10, with victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-4), Los Angeles Lakers (13-11) and Dallas Mavericks (16-9) in that span.

But, Butler, 35, has a player option for next season, so Miami must make a decision on trading him before the deadline or risk losing him for nothing if he opts out of his deal. Yet, if the Heat keep winning into the new year, it will only make it tougher to justify breaking the up nucleus.

Suns dealt another injury blow, struggle to stay afloat

The Phoenix Suns (12-11) have their last three games, all of which have come without star Kevin Durant (sprained ankle). It’s just the latest setback in a season complicated by injuries.

The Suns have lost nine of their last 12, though, it’s becoming clear Durant is the key to their success; from the 10 games Durant has missed this season, Phoenix has scraped together just one single victory. Of the 13 games he has played in, Phoenix has lost only two.

Center Jusuf Nurkić has been dealing with his own ankle injury, though his production is way down, averaging his lowest point total (8.9) since the 2016-17 season (8). Because his playmaking opportunities have been reduced – given the offseason addition of point guard Tyus Jones – Nurkić is averaging just 1.3 assists per game, down from 4 last season.

Hawks hitting the glass, could be a candidate to break out

There has been a clear reason why the Hawks (14-12) have won seven of their last eight: rebounding. No team has been better than Atlanta over the last eight games, with the Hawks leading the NBA in rebound percentage, hauling in 54.2% of them.

In fact, the Hawks have outrebounded their opponent in each of the last eight games, and they’ve done so by an average margin of 8.4 rebounds per game. And it’s not just scrubs that the Hawks have beaten recently.

Atlanta has wins against the New York Knicks (Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup Eastern Conference semis), Lakers, red-hot Bucks and against the NBA-best Cavaliers (twice).

So, now, the Hawks have the NBA’s best record since Thanksgiving.

Grizzlies are on an absolute tear. It may be something of a mirage

First, a caveat: beating weaker opponents is something good teams should do. Still, it’s tough to draw any sweeping conclusions from the recent play of the Memphis Grizzlies (17-8), winners of nine of the last 10.

Eight of those wins during this stretch came against teams currently under .500.

Granted, the other victory came against the defending-champion Celtics. Memphis limited MVP candidate Jayson Tatum to just 1-of-10 shooting from 3 and clamped Boston to 40% field goals – tying their lowest output of the season.

Ja Morant is once again a play-making wizard, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been steady and the Grizzlies have solid depth, especially with the addition of rookie Jaylen Wells. Young GG Jackson remains out after offseason foot surgery. The Grizzlies rank fifth in offensive rating (116.5), seventh in defensive rating (108.4) and fourth in net rating (8). They have pieces to contend.

76ers are finally healthy. Can they save their season?

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a nice, little five-day break from game action. It comes at a perfect time.

On Sunday, their most recent game, the 76ers (7-15) took down the Chicago Bulls to win their fourth out of their last five. It also marked the first time all season that Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George – their unquestioned Big Three – started and finished a game.

There was no notable minutes restriction, and Embiid put up a double-double (31 points, 12 rebounds), while Maxey recorded his first career triple-double (25 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds).

Frankly, a little patience might be in order. Embiid missed his first seven field goal attempts and seemed to lumber a bit early in the game. But the second quarter was a glimpse of what the Sixers can be when they’re clicking; Philadelphia – led by Embiid’s methodical shot making – went on a 16-0 run to drop 39 in the second quarter. The Sixers never trailed from that point on.