ERIK SPOELSTRA

Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have enormous respect for each other and a bond that stems from their shared history in the sport.

Bam Adebayo scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler had 22 points and 12 assists, and the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tyler Herro was told before the season began that he wouldn’t be in the Miami Heat starting lineup.

The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are the top seeds in the playoffs and at the moment, they look like it coming off impressive performances.

In Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s mind, the injury situation with Joel Embiid doesn’t doom the Philadelphia 76ers.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94.

The road back to the NBA Finals has become bumpy for the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.

These are Jimmy Butler’s three highest-scoring games in a Miami uniform: 40 points against Milwaukee, 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, 45 points against Atlanta.

Nikola Jokic is a finalist to win a second straight NBA MVP award, along with two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.

Udonis Haslem started the Miami Heat postseason with an apology.

Max Strus scored all of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, Tyler Herro finished with a game-high 29 off the bench and the Miami Heat escaped with a 105-98 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Devin Booker scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 21 and the Phoenix Suns shook off a slow start to beat the Miami Heat 111-90 on Wednesday night in a matchup of the NBA’s conference leaders.

Red Auerbach.

Jrue Holiday banked in a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Miami Heat 120-119.

When the All-Star break ends, the stretch run begins.

Joel Embiid dominated with 40 points and 10 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame DeMar DeRozan’s season-high, 45-point game for Chicago to beat the Bulls 119-108 on Sunday.

Duncan Robinson scored 25 points while shooting 7 of 11 from 3-point range to lead four Miami players with 20 or more points in the Heat’s 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks.

Another G League referee was called up by the NBA to work a game Saturday as the league continued finding ways to play through the latest coronavirus outbreak.

The NBA has postponed Miami's game at San Antonio after a combination of injuries and positive COVID-19 tests left the Heat unable to meet the league’s requirement of having eight available players.

By early Sunday evening, the number of players known to be in the protocols was up to 116 — and probably slightly higher, considering some teams had yet to update injury reports.

The NBA's virus numbers continue to rise.

The NBA’s Christmas message to its teams was a refrain it has been using for weeks: Get boosted.

Tyler Herro scored 29 points, Max Strus added 26 and the Miami Heat rallied to beat the short-handed Detroit Pistons 115-112.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was formally announced as the next coach of the U.S. men’s basketball team.

ANN ARBOR -- Juwan Howard couldn’t stop smiling after Michigan’s game against Southern Utah on Saturday night. It helped that Michigan won by 37 points, but what warmed his heart was his former NBA brethren showing up at Crisler Center. Tracy McGrady, Duncan Robinson, and Erik Spoelstra were among the stars in the house, supporting Howard and, in turn, the Wolverines. “The support was real tonight,” Howard said. “It was beautiful to see.”Howard’s final three seasons as an NBA player were with the Miami Heat, before he transitioned into coaching with the franchise.

The fallout from the scuffle between reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Markieff Morris from the Miami Heat continues.

There’s some bad blood brewing between Nikola Jokic and the Morris twins. He will also have to face Markieff’s twin brother, Marcus, who plays for the Clippers, who was less than thrilled about the cheap shot. He added that he felt bad after seeing how hard he shoved Morris in the back. “It’s a stupid play,” Jokic said, per ESPN. I felt bad.

Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists before the NBA MVP was ejected for violently slamming his shoulder into Markieff Morris, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 113-96 on Monday night.

The NBA is welcoming their fans back with hopes everyone plays by the rules again.

Jamahl Mosley has agreed to become the new coach of the Orlando Magic.

This is why these young Pistons were chosen for the USA Select Team, training with and helping the Olympic team prepare for the Tokyo Games that start later this month. Erik Spoelstra, the head coach for the Heat and the USA Select team, noticed. “They’re in a great program, particularly for development under Coach (Dwane) Casey,” Spoelstra said during a media call from the Select Team camp in Las Vegas. It’s going to be very beneficial to learn from some of the best.”Spoelstra noted how beneficial this camp will be to young players. The professionalism, the reliability, these are invaluable examples for young players to see.”Bey, 22, is committed to doing what it takes to grow and improve.

One of the most beloved figures in Miami sports history has visited the site of a Florida condo building collapse.

The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Chauncey Billups as their new coach.

Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich have often spoken of how much they enjoy coaching against one another.

The Portland Trail Blazers and coach Terry Stotts are parting ways after nine seasons.

Just in time for the playoffs, the NBA has told its head coaches that they may choose to not wear masks during games if they have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The postgame routine between San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra is almost always the same.

Erik Spoelstra got a milestone win, and it didn’t come easily.

Victor Oladipo got swept out of the first round of the playoffs last season by Miami, and when that series concluded he had no doubt the Heat would end up in the NBA Finals.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)LeBron James is becoming a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox. “It’s great to be with such a great group,” James said of FSG, with which he has had a relationship for a decade. The Red Sox are a historical franchise. AdAnd now, he’ll be linked to the Red Sox — the Yankees’ biggest rival. It’s something that inspires, something for others to marvel at.”The move only enhances James' business empire.

Vincent has also been a part-time starter for the Heat, and Miami was one of the teams concerned that those 50-game appearance limits on the active roster was fast approaching. Ad“We all appreciate that they see that each team is in a different place,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The rule in past years has been that two-way players could spend 45 days with the NBA club and the rest of the time with a franchise’s G League team. But with a shortened G League season this year, and not all teams having clubs in that league this season, there were obvious reasons to change things. We are just glad that it was seen that way, objectively, because not everybody is in the same circumstance.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, tries to pass as Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. The Heat even kept it together to pull out a win over the defending NBA champions despite a fourth quarter that nearly went wrong. Nunn scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler had 24 points and eight rebounds, and Miami held off the Los Angeles Lakers 96-94 Saturday night in an NBA Finals rematch. Kyle Kuzma scored 23 points while hitting four 3-pointers, and Montrezl Harrell had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. ... Goran Dragić missed his eighth straight game with a sprained left ankle.

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose looks to pass the ball as Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson (55) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – The first thing Derrick Rose did in his second stint with the New York Knicks was start handing out assists. Rose made his second Knicks debut Tuesday night in Miami, scoring 14 points in 20 minutes in New York's 98-96 loss to the Heat. Rose won the 2011 NBA MVP award, capping his first season under Thibodeau and a 62-20 season for the Bulls. “I think he’s in great shape.

Washington Wizards forward Troy Brown Jr., left, loses control of the ball as Miami Heat guard Avery Bradley (11) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)MIAMI – Miami guard Avery Bradley went nearly two weeks without seeing his wife and children after testing positive for COVID-19, a brutally hard part of his ordeal with the illness. “I was really nervous,” Bradley said. “It’s really frustrating,” Bradley said. The Heat start a seven-game road trip in Houston on Thursday; Bradley isn’t expected to travel because of his injury.

(AP Photo/Darren Abate)No additional NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week, the league said Wednesday, after nearly two dozen games had to be called off in the past month because of virus-related issues. That continued a good two-week trend: After 27 players were positive in results released between Jan. 6 and Jan. 19, only one player has been positive since. We all need it, not just NBA players, coaches, families. The planet needs it.”The NBA has called off 23 games this season for virus issues, 22 since Jan. 10. But it’s important to have weeks like this, because it gives everybody hope.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – The Miami Heat may have another player missing games for virus-related reasons, after second-year guard Tyler Herro revealed that someone who lives with him tested positive for COVID-19. The reason the Heat cited for having Herro on the report is the NBA’s health and safety protocols, which only means it is a virus-related reason and does not suggest that he tested positive. If Herro cannot play Monday, he’d become the ninth Heat player on that list. Herro is tested daily and obviously had not tested positive Saturday, since the NBA and Heat permitted him to be on the floor; he played a team-high 40 minutes and scored 15 points. “Someone who lives with me tested positive before the game and I found out at halftime.

Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem, left, talks to Jimmy Butler during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Miami. The Miami Heat aren’t believing that quite yet — even after a disastrous start to the 2020-21 campaign. “Heat Nation, we are going to figure this out,” All-Star center Bam Adebayo said. AdThe year after losing the finals has not been kind to the most recent teams who have dropped the title series. Tyler Herro missed seven games with neck spasms.

Miami Heat's Gabe Vincent (2) defends against Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in New York. Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Kyrie Irving took over late and had 28 and the Nets overcame Adebayo's career-high 41 points to beat the Miami Heat 128-124 on Saturday night. Irving helped pull the Nets through with 12 points in the final 5:48 after the Heat had erased nearly all of an 18-point deficit. Adebayo beat the buzzer with a jumper, than Miami opened the fourth with a 13-0 run to get within 96-95. Irving, Harden and Durant quickly combined for eight straight points but Adebayo kept coming, and the Nets needed a couple of clutch baskets from Irving and late free throws to pull it out.

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat eventually showed up to a game already behind schedule. Goran Dragic scored 22 points for the Heat, who got 18 apiece from Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn. Heat: Miami has used nine starting lineups through 12 games, with Dragic starting Monday for the first time this season. Miami will visit the Pistons once in the season’s second half. Heat: Visit Toronto in Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)Another three NBA games were postponed Friday, including one in Minnesota only a couple hours before game time, as the league's struggle with increasing coronavirus numbers continued. The Timberwolves' game with the Memphis Grizzlies was called off, as were what would have been Wizards' home games Sunday and Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA said earlier this week that 16 players tested positive in recent days, which was more than the NBA had seen in the last five weeks combined. The NBA gave Orlando coach Steve Clifford a call recently, telling him he had to do a better job of keeping his mask on during games. “I think there were seven of us who got a call from the league about ‘Keep your mask on,’” Clifford said.

Utah's game in Washington on Wednesday was postponed because contact-tracing issues among the Wizards meant they wouldn't have eight available players for that matchup. “I'm for whatever the NBA wants us to do," Washington coach Scott Brooks said. When teams started testing in late November prior to the start of training camps, 48 players had positive COVID-19 tests. There were at least 36 players in the league dealing with virus-related issues or protocols when Tuesday began, based on information released by teams. Counting the two new postponements and another on Dec. 23 between Oklahoma City and Houston, the league has seen six games moved because of virus issues.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)MIAMI – Rookie guard Payton Pritchard wasn't there last season when the Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals. Jimmy Butler had 26 points for Miami, which got 16 points from Duncan Robinson, 15 points from Bam Adebayo and 14 from Goran Dragic. TIP-INSCeltics: Stevens called Spoelstra before the game to alert him of the Celtics' meeting and consideration of not playing. Heat: Miami’s streak of a different starting five in every game this season ended; the Heat used the same opening lineup as they did Monday against Oklahoma City.

The NBA is urging teams to make increased commitments toward providing mental health resources to players and staff, releasing updated guidelines Wednesday to reflect the challenge of playing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The NBA has mandated that teams offer access to mental health professionals in recent seasons — a program the league calls Mind Health was launched nearly three years ago — but that obviously predates the pandemic and how countless aspects of day-to-day life has changed in recent months. Those are a few of the ways the NBA has changed amid the virus. “All this is a little bit like the Twilight Zone,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about the mental strain of playing amid a pandemic. “The usage of mental health tools and support platforms has increased as have the modalities to assist those in need.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)The Miami Heat just wrapped up two consecutive days of practice, which is significant for this reason: It might not happen again for a while. Practice time is something that will be in short supply around the NBA this season; teams are basically playing every other day, and that — along with travel and mandated days off — realistically leaves time for no more than two practices per week. “I think you need to adjust and at least we’re all on an even playing field, so it’s all relative,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Every team in the NBA will have similar practice quandaries, which comes with the territory of having plenty of four-game weeks.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Bledsoe (5) dribbles against Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Joel Auerbach)MIAMI – Erik Spoelstra remained perfect on Christmas, and a record-tying show from Duncan Robinson helped him stay that way. Robinson made seven 3-pointers — tying the Christmas single-game mark — and scored 23 points, helping the Heat beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-98 to start the NBA’s holiday quintupleheader Friday. Goran Dragic scored 18 points, Bam Adebayo had 17 and Avery Bradley finished with 12 for Miami, and Spoelstra improved his Christmas record as Heat coach to 8-0. COMING HOMEVeteran ref John Goble was crew chief and got to be home for Christmas; he’s a Miami native.

The Heat are in the Finals for the first time since 2014, which was a year after winning their third title. He is averaging 20.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the playoffs for a Heat team whose future looks bright. Center/power forward Bam Adebayo, selected 14th in 2017, is averaging 18.5 points and 11.4 rebounds in the playoffs. Second-year guard Duncan Robinson (Michigan) has started all 15 playoff games for the Heat, averaging 11.3 points and shooting 40 percent from three. Frank Vogel has reached the Finals for the first time in his first season with the Lakers.

(Reuters) - The National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Wednesday it was suspending the season until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus. The test result was reported shortly before the Jazz were due to play the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The league said the affected player, reportedly Jazz center Rudy Gobert, was not in the arena. The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonights schedule of games until further notice, the league said. This cant be true, he told ESPN as his team played the Denver Nuggets.

He did it again the next year, when the Heat won another title and he was transitioning to a coaching life. Isnt that just awesome? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, smiling broadly. Howard as the Wolverines off to a 7-0 start in his first season as coach at the school where he played. So happy for this dude, Wade tweeted after Michigan won the Bahamas title. Theres a whole slew of new Michigan fans inside the building the Heat call home.