Having Giannis Antetokounmpo around solves plenty of basketball problems. Figuring out who fits best beside him? That’s still a work in progress.

The Heat have already wrapped up a five-game road trip with a winning record. But they've also shuffled their starting lineup and needed some late defensive stops to hold off a Utah team missing four starters. At 5–6, Miami's shown enough to make you curious about what this team could become — and enough inconsistency to explain why they haven’t quite gotten there yet.

Cleveland gets the next chance to test the Heat on Friday at Kaseya Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.

It’s Cup Night 3, though this will be just the second group game for both teams. Miami and Cleveland are each 1–0 in East Group B: The Cavaliers beat Philadelphia 119–95, and the Heat took down Indiana 145–125. A win would move either team to 2–0 with two games left. With the Knicks also in the group, that early cushion could come in handy.

Miami’s Already Made an Adjustment

Erik Spoelstra moved Pelle Larsson into Andrew Wiggins’ starting spot Sunday in Sacramento. Miami’s won both games since.

The early numbers make the decision pretty easy to understand. Through the Sacramento game, Miami had outscored opponents by 32 points per 100 possessions in the 37 minutes with Larsson in the starting lineup. The version with Wiggins was minus-9.1 in 109 minutes. That's a pretty reasonable reason to try something different.

Spoelstra also wasn’t going to pretend the veterans had played well enough to make the decision complicated:

They’re not playing and contributing at the highest level right now.

Larsson gives Miami another willing cutter around Giannis and Bam Adebayo. That could matter against Cleveland. If Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can both hang around the paint, Giannis is going to see a lot of arms in front of him. Somebody has to move those defenders, whether it’s a cut behind them, a screen, or a jumper they can’t just ignore.

Giannis has done his part, too: 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game through 11 games.

His right wrist is worth keeping an eye on after he played through a sprain Tuesday. The two days off before Cleveland should help, though.

Cleveland Needs Their Best Players Involved

The Cavs' loss in Charlotte on Monday looked even worse than the 124–112 final. They fell behind by 33, gave up 20 second-chance points, and got just 11 points each from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Evan Mobley took five shots. Five.

That’s the part I’d keep coming back to against Miami. The Cavs have enough talent to blow this game open, but having talented bigs doesn’t help much if they’re spending entire possessions watching the guards do all the work.

The Harden–Mitchell pairing hasn’t consistently made things easier, either. Cleveland scored 111.5 points per 100 possessions with both of them on the floor, compared with 129.2 when Mitchell played without Harden.

Mobley’s made 23 of 46 threes through 11 games. Miami should have to respect that. Get him involved early, make a big defender come out to him, and then attack the space that creates.

Watch What Happens After the Help Comes

For Cleveland, slowing Giannis is just the first job. If the help makes him pass, somebody still has to rotate over, and the possession has to end with a rebound.

For Miami, the real question is whether Larsson’s movement and Klay Thompson’s shooting can keep Cleveland’s size busy without asking Giannis to bulldoze through everyone every trip.

That’s what I’ll be watching Friday: who leaves, who moves next, and whether the ball gets there on time. Giannis can win plenty of possessions on his own. Miami’s trying to make sure he doesn’t have to win all of them.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.

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