Dwyane Wade did as expected after missing five games with a strained left hamstring, he took a small step forward.
Both Wade and coach Erik Spoelstra were encouraged by Wade's return in Friday's 105-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the Miami Heat turned their attention to Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
"I think I was OK, physically," Wade said, closing with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in 19:59 Friday.
Wade also had the only two turnovers among the Heat's' reserves.
"Very encouraging with those minutes," Spoelstra said. "He'll get in better rhythm. He was actually in better rhythm than I anticipated.
"But he really has been working hard behind the scenes. That doesn't happen by accident. If you're doing daily-doubles and really preparing yourself, you can go into a situation like that. He's been through this many times."
Spoelstra said the goal remains to utilize Wade, 36, as a stabilizing presence with the second unit.
"He obviously is going to help settle us, particularly against really good teams on the road," Spoelstra said. "He just gives you a sense of poise and confidence."
Bam's lesson
Friday provided another lesson in Bam Adebayo's rookie schooling.
Again starting in place of sidelined Hassan Whiteside, Adebayo closed the first half in Oklahoma City without a point or rebound, compared to the 11 points and seven rebounds of Thunder center Steven Adams. While Adams went on to add 13 points and five rebounds in the second half, Adebayo then was more competitive, with seven rebounds, on what still turned into a scoreless night for first-round pick out of Kentucky.
"I think it took him a little bit to adjust," Spoelstra said. "And that's why we love Bam so much. As a young player, he's never played against somebody like Steven Adams, of that size.
"He was prepared going into it, but Adams was getting the best of him, and then a lot of those 50-50 opportunities. Bam really brought a different physically the second half, but also we were able to run some offense with him, which helped. It's a great quality to have as a young player, to be able to adapt on the fly and then adjust and then find a different way to make an impact, and he did."
Adebayo has been starting with Hassan Whiteside having missed the past seven games with what the team is now listing as a strained left hip flexor. Whiteside's muscle was particular missed against the Thunder.
"We're never going to use excuses about who we got, who's ready to play, who's healthy," guard Goran Dragic said. "We are going to go with that guy. What would happen if Hassan would play or somebody else, we don't have control over that. Of course we would love to have him, but it is what it is."
Ellington's move
With his four 3-pointers against the Thunder, Wayne Ellington moved past Tim Hardaway for second place on the Heat all-time list for 3-pointers made in a season.
Ellington now has 205, ahead of Hardaway's 203 in 1996-97. Damon Jones holds the franchise record, with 225 in 2004-05.
"It's an amazing individual accomplishment," Ellington said of passing Hardaway. "Like I keep saying, I'm just appreciative, man, of everything. Just being there in the same sentence in that category. I'm appreciative of my teammates and my coaches.
"Spo has been unbelievable with the way he believes in me and that's all you can ask for as a shooter like me, for your head coach to have that type of confidence in you."
With their 13 3-pointers Friday, the Heat moved to 818 for the season, breaking the previous team record of 808 last season, Ellington's first with the Heat.
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