Miami Heat: 3-game winning streak arrives at the right time

Following a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat have responded by reeling off a timely three-game winning streak.

For the second time this season, Sacramento Kings rookie guard De’Aaron Fox became a nightmare for the Miami Heat.

Having nailed the game-winner in their first meeting earlier in the season, Fox matched this by tying up their most recent meeting with just seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. The resulting loss left the Heat with a 36-33 record and placed eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.

However, the Heat have responded to the disappointment of the Kings game by reeling off an impressive three-game road streak. As a result, they now find themselves in seventh spot with 13 games remaining, 1.5 games ahead of the eighth placed Milwaukee Bucks.

After finishing off a three-game road trip with a nail-biting one-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat retuned home to defeat the Denver Nuggets 149-141, in an epic double-overtime win, followed by a trouncing of the spiraling New York Knicks,.

With starting center Hassan Whiteside and impact guard Dwyane Wade sidelined for this current winning streak, its taken some invaluable contributions from a variety of players in order to get the Heat back into gear.

At the top of the list of impressive performers has been the versatile Kelly Olynyk. In the absence of Whiteside, Olynyk has peeled off arguably the most impressive three-game sequence as a member of the Heat.

In 31.7 minutes per game as a reserve, Olynyk has averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.7 steals. Furthermore, he has shot at a 63.4 percent clip from the field and nailed 3.0 triples per game while converting at a 50 percent return.

Notably, Olynyk managed to achieve three career-highs during this span. Firstly, his four blocked shots against the Nuggets eclipsed his previous high of three. Also, his 10 assists and plus/minus of return +32 against the Knicks also marked career-highs in his fifth season in the league.

Following the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra heaped plenty of praise on Olynyk for his contributions:

"“He adds so many dimensions to your offense, because of his skill level, and his shooting ability and his creativity. So it makes your shooters more open, it makes your attackers have better driving lanes. There’s a lot of things the defense has to negotiate through when he’s the court and playing at a high level. That’s where he’s been building and trending to, it’s the ultimate compliment when guys want to play with you, and you make other guys look better.”"

One notable benefactor during this recent time has been guard Wayne Ellington. Considering OIynyk’s ability to stretch the floor and initiate the offense, Ellington’s to play off the ball makes this duo a terrific pairing.

Over these three games, this duo produced a net rating of +23.3 in 28.7 minutes per game on the court together. From an individual standpoint, Ellington shot at a 61.1 percent clip from long range when sharing the court with Olynyk.

Another stellar performer during this span was a similarly versatile player in James Johnson. In averaging 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.1 minutes per game, Johnson provided the Heat with an additional, legitimate playmaking option. His contributions against the Nuggets were simply sublime, as can be seen from the following tweet:

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/976096020269383680

In addition, Johnson scored an incredible 18 of his 31 points over the two overtime periods, a new record for points scored in overtime by a member of the Heat.

Next: 2017-18 Week 23 NBA Power Rankings

Now clearly in the home stretch to the postseason, the Heat now face a pivotal road double against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. In order to avoid a first round matchup against the conference-leading Toronto Raptors, the Heat will need to build upon the confidence gleaned from this current win streak and carry it over to this crucial road trip.