Jimmy Butler: ‘I’m tired of losing… We’ve got to figure this out’ Giannis Antetokounmpo out Sunday vs. Suns due to right quad contusion Derrick Rose says he has not discussed buyout with Knicks Grizzlies rout Nuggets in showdown of top two teams in West Watch Jayson Tatum drain game-winner, complete Celtics comeback win vs. 76ers

At the beginning of this season, the Heat were perceived as a team that Jimmy Butler A three-pointer for getting back to the finals a season ago and can get back to that level if things go wrong.

Things didn’t break.

The Heat lost four games in a row and went 32–29 into the play-in zone. Jimmy Butler upset as he said after the game on Saturday via Anthony Chang of the Miami Herald:

“I’m tired of losing,” forward Jimmy Butler said.

“I don’t think anyone here wants to lose,” Butler said as he stood in front of his locker after Saturday’s loss at Charlotte. “We have to figure it out very, very quickly.”

There are a few things that are affecting the Heat’s struggles this season: Butler missed 15 games – that’s part of it (although part of it lies with the team’s medical staff), Kyle Lowrydecline, lack of secondary play and lack of depth on four (Kevin Love was redeemed by the Cavaliers and starts already in the Heat). All of this puts the Heat in fifth place among NBA offenses this season (using NBA.com data).

However, the biggest problem lately is just bad shooting, as Chang points out.

In the current four-game drift, Miami has scored 40-of-139 (28.8%) from beyond the arc. This includes an alarming 15 of 59 (25.4 percent) three-of-a-kind wide-open shots (when the nearest defenseman is six feet or more away), according to NBA tracking statistics.

Guys who usually shoot outside of this four-game stretch: Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love shoot below 30% of arc during this segment (and Caleb Martin is 30.8%). Just taking pictures will help.

If Miami doesn’t find their way on offense over the next month, they’ll have a lot more to go back to the Finals than missed a 3-pointer.

Sunday’s nationally televised game between the Suns and the Bucks – a rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals and a potential preview of the Finals this year – will be missing a couple of stars. Kevin Duran hasn’t made his debut for the Suns yet, but looks like it will be Wednesday.

Now comes the word that Giannis Antetokounmpo out of action with a hip bruise in the previous game against the Heat.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters that Giannis Antetokounmpo (a bruised right quad) will not play against the Suns tonight.

Antetokumbō was also not on the floor during his usual pre-match routine.

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) February 26, 2023

It’s not a surprise, but the news could have been worse for the Bucks as it doesn’t look like Antetokounmpo will be out for a long time. The Bucks are 6-5 in games Antetokounmpo has sat out this season.

Antetokumbō returned from a sprained wrist faster than expected and went up against the Heat in the first game after the All-Star break. But then at the end of the first quarter, he took time off from the game and went straight to the Bucks locker room, never to return.

Giannis Antetokounmpo takes time out and goes straight to the Bucks locker room. pic.twitter.com/GHMo3SwYpx

— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) February 25, 2023

Antetokounmpo has been playing at the MVP level this season – averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game – and it’s a priority for the Bucks to be healthy for the playoffs.

When a report leaked out of Phoenix that the Suns would be interested in Derrick Rose if it was bought out, it was clearly an attempt by someone from the Suns to plant the idea in Rose’s head. He’s dropped out of the Knicks’ rotation – the two minutes he played on Saturday was his first of 2023 – and the suggestion he’ll play a larger role with Kevin Duran it was clear (even if the Suns had gone to the point).

This message did not reach Rose. He seemed oblivious and uninterested in Saturday’s pre-game commentary. via Peter Botte of the New York Post.

No, I haven’t talked to anyone about it. I didn’t talk to anyone,” Rose said… when asked if he was considering a buyout. “I didn’t even think about it. I’m locked in my case right now. It’s pretty hard to think of something that I’ve never done and never talked about with them.”

“No. Did you hear anything? I’m just locked up, healing. [I] talk to Tibs about the team, talk to Leon about the team, but other than that, I didn’t talk to them about [a buyout]Rose said. “I think in the past we were so transparent that if I thought about moving or they had to move me somewhere, they would have warned me.”

Rose said he also wasn’t worried about being pushed aside the trade deadline when he was hung up as a tradeable contract, stating that Leon Rose and team management didn’t talk to him.

Players must be released by March 1st to be available for the playoff roster of any team that picks them up. It doesn’t look like Rose or the Knicks are moving towards that result.

Rose is likely to become a free agent this summer, and it’s unlikely the Knicks will pick him for $15.6 million next season. The Suns can sign him then if they still want to.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) – I am Morant scored 23 points and seven rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies took the lead in a 112-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night in the Western Conference All-Star Game.

Tyus Jones finished with 17 points, and Luke Kennard, Xavier Tillman And Dillon Brooks scored 12 points for Memphis, which is six games behind Denver in the conference race.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Jeff Green added 12 points. Centavius ​​Caldwell-Pope And Christian Brown each scored 11 points as Denver’s four-game winning streak came to an end. Denver was hindered by a 40% shooting game. The Nuggets starter was 17 of 47 from the field in the game.

Denver scored 94 points for the season.

“One of the biggest priorities was transition defense,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “I thought our urgency was phenomenal.”

In the Western Leadership Game, Denver came out playing well and Memphis struggled, losing six of their last 10 games and losing control of second place as the Sacramento Kings climbed to third.

But Memphis came out with more intensity and defensive pressure, continued…