The Miami Heat were impressive as they beat the Golden State Warriors 114-102 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.
Star forward Jimmy Butler sat out his fourth straight game because of a strained left calf, while Kyle Lowry (soreness), Caleb Martin (sprained right ankle) and Josh Richardson (back discomfort) also were unavailable for the Heat.
Tyler Herro had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jamal Cain added 18 points and six rebounds.
Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points apiece as Miami kicked off a five-game West Coast swing.
“It’s just a testament to our gratitude, the guys’ next-man-up mentality,” Herro said. “Just coming in here and being able to fulfill guys that are out, being able to fulfill those spots.”
Golden State on the other hand could only give the Heats their flowers.
“They played good games, they played hard, and that’s what coach was preaching before the game: They are going to come out even harder than they would if they had their starters,” said Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Golden State.
The Warriors, who had won eight games in a row at Chase Center after opening the season 1-6 on their home floor, lost in San Francisco for the first time since Nov. 18 against Oklahoma City.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 13 points each for the Warriors. Curry was held off the board until he hit a 3-pointer with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter.
Moses Moody and Andrew Wiggins each had 11 points as the Warriors were limited to 37-of-88 (42%) shooting.
They were 8 of 33 (24.2%) from 3-point range.
“You want to set the tone right from the get-go,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “For the most part, I thought our guys brought that kind of effort, energy, toughness and physicality.”
