Miami Heat Check In At No. 6 in Latest Power Rankings

Despite injuries and protocols absences, the Miami Heat are ranked sixth by NBA.com
Miami Heat Check In At No. 6 in Latest Power Rankings
Miami Heat Check In At No. 6 in Latest Power Rankings /
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The Miami Heat have had every reason to make excuses the past month. 

Several players have missed games because of injuries and health protocols, including Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Still, the Heat are going strong at the midway point of the season. They are 25-15 entering Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks

According to NBA.com, the Heat are the sixth-best team in the league. 

"About the time that they lost both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to injuries, the Heat started shooting 3-pointers more liberally," wrote John Schuhmann of NBA.com "Good results didn’t come right away, but since Dec. 8, they rank second in 3-point percentage (41.2%) and third in the percentage of their shots that have come from beyond the arc (45.6%). Though Omer Yurkseven is the only guy to have played in all 15 games, the Heat are 11-4 over that stretch. Their biggest win came in a 23-point victory in Phoenix on Saturday. They drained 22 3-pointers (tying the franchise record) against a defense that ranks second in the league and has generally been good at limiting shots (and success) from beyond the arc."

Things are only going to get better for the Heat. They are expecting Butler back from an ankle injury later this week. Adebayo, who has been sidelined since early December, is also close to making a return. 

The Heat also play 25 of the remaining 42 games at home. 

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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