Heat end five-game slide with lineup tweak; Knueppel flirts with triple-double; White adjusts in Charlotte; Vukcevic focused on growth
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The Miami Heat halted a five-game losing streak on Wednesday by defeating the Cavaliers 120-103 in Cleveland after head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo into the starting lineup. Forward Pelle Larsson, who came off the bench for the first time since Jan. 13, still logged a team-high 34 minutes.
Spoelstra said the new first five is his preferred group when the roster is fully healthy. “Now we have finally everybody available, so we’re able to get to the normal plan,” he explained. Despite the role change, the coach emphasized that Larsson will continue to see heavy minutes, praising the second-year forward’s energy and impact.
Hornets
Rookie wing Kon Knueppel, playing through back soreness, posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in Thursday’s win over New York, nearly recording his first NBA triple-double. The performance also made him the youngest player ever to hit 250 three-pointers in a single season. “Sometimes he gets labeled as just a shooter, but we feel his impact in so many different ways,” head coach Charles Lee said.
Newly acquired guard Coby White said the three-week recovery from a calf strain after his trade from Chicago allowed him to learn Charlotte’s system before debuting. White is averaging 16.0 points in 20.0 minutes through 13 games with the Hornets.
Wizards
Center Tristan Vukcevic, promoted from a two-way deal last month, signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $8.86 million contract that runs through 2026-27. The 23-year-old called the agreement “more motivation” to improve and secure a long-term role, noting that he still has work to do, particularly with his shooting.
Source: Hoops Rumors
