Udonis Haslem's Return Makes Up For the Miami Heat's First Preseason Loss

Miami Heat fall to Atlanta Hawks but thrilled about having their team captain back in the lineup
Udonis Haslem's Return Makes Up For the Miami Heat's First Preseason Loss
Udonis Haslem's Return Makes Up For the Miami Heat's First Preseason Loss /

After winning their first four preseason games, the Miami Heat found themselves on the losing end for the first time. 

A 127-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Thursday at State Farm Arena stopped the perfection but the Heat had little concern because the game marked the return of captain Udonis Haslem. 

He was placed in the starting lineup after missing most of training camp after the death of his father. 

"I was happy to be back but I've never stepped on a basketball court without my father somewhere and that was a harsh reality for me," Haslem said. "I had moments but I'm going to continue to have moments and I'm going to work through them." 

Haslem, who is playing his 19th season with the Heat, finished with one point, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks in 13 minutes. He was 0 for 4 from the field, but his presence is more than just about numbers. 

“I love having UD in the locker room, on the floor, all the moments in between with the basketball team,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You can’t put an analytic on it.”

The Heat were able to get Haslem some quality minutes because of Spoelstra's decision to sit 11 players, including Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo. 

The Heat conclude the preseason Friday against the Boston Celtics. They 

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com


Published
Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here