Goran Dragic replaces Kendrick Nunn in Heat starting lineup for Game 3 vs. Bucks
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Unlike previous years when the Miami Heat altered their lineup in advance of the start of the NBA playoffs, coach Erik Spoelstra instead made his move Thursday night in Game 3 of his team’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Moved into the first five was guard Goran Dragic, with Kendrick Nunn shuffled out of the opening mix.
The move was similar to the eve of last season’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, when Dragic, a reserve almost the entire 2019-20 regular season, was given the starting berth that Nunn held during his rookie regular season.
Nunn had started the first two games of the series against the Bucks, a pair of losses at Fiserv Forum.
The balance of the Heat lineup remained the same as the first two games of the series, with Bam Adebayo at center, Trevor Ariza at power forward, and Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson on the wing.
The quintet of Dragic, Butler, Adebayo, Robinson and Ariza started three games during the regular season, with the Heat 2-1 in those three.
Those five had played 15 minutes together in the first two games against the Bucks, with the Heat outscoring Milwaukee by two points in those minutes. The five played 61 minutes together during the regular season, with the Heat outscoring the opposition by 11 in those minutes.
Spoelstra, as is typical, downplayed the starting lineup amid the Heat’s preparations for Thursday night’s game.
“It’s not about the lineups right now. It’s about us collectively doing things better certainly than we did in Game 2,” he said, with the Heat losing Monday’s Game 2 132-98, with Nunn 4 of 14 from the field in that loss.
There had been speculation of the Heat moving to a bigger lineup in light of their rebounding struggles at the start of the series, but Dewayne Dedmon remained in reserve.
Last year, Spoelstra moved to a smaller lineup at the start of the playoffs, replacing Meyers Leonard with Jae Crowder. Crowder then departed for the Phoenix Suns in free agency in November, with Leonard dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder at midseason in exchange for Ariza.
The Bucks remained with the same lineup as the series’ first two games, opening with Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Donte DiVincenzo.