Heat's $120,000,000 star and Bam Adebayo seemingly take a direct dig at former teammate Jimmy Butler after win vs Warriors

Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat gave former teammate Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors a rude welcome on Tuesday. In the first meeting between the two teams since the Butler trade, the Heat rolled to a comfortable 112-86 win. Adebayo led the home team with 27 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

After the game, 5ReasonsSports' Brady Hawk reported:

“Tyler or Bam saying postgame that they found their joy……”

After a loss to the Indiana Pacers in early January, Jimmy Butler told reporters that he had “lost” his joy. The conference set off a testy standoff between the Miami Heat and their former franchise superstar. Butler demanded a trade while the Heat suspended him multiple times.

When the Warriors acquired Butler before the trade deadline, the veteran promptly told the media that he had his “joy back now.”

Tyler Herro, who signed a four-year, $120 million contract in 2022, Bam Adebayo and the Heat promptly tested that joy right off the bat. The defensive ace started on Butler and was the key reason the Warriors' forward struggled. "Jimmy Buckets" finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds and two assists. He went 5-for-12, including 0-for-2 from deep.

Heat fans repeatedly booed Butler almost every time he had the ball. After the game, Adebayo and Herro, who had 20 points, seven assists and three rebounds, seemed to troll Butler.

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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra downplays putting Bam Adebayo on Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat opened the game with Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo. Wiggins, who usually guards Jimmy Butler while he was still with Golden State, did not get that opportunity early. Erik Spoelstra gave that assignment to Adebayo, Miami’s best and most versatile defender.

After the game, Spoelstra had this to say about the strategy:

“That’s not even something we did just for this game. If you look at the last six weeks, we start Kel’el [Ware]. He usually guards the center. Bam guards whoever the best big wing is, so he’s taken on this challenge. It’s a new chapter, development in his defensive prowess.”

Jimmy Butler went 0-for-5 in the first half. He did not make his first field goal until the third quarter, when he went 4-for-5. The Heat clamped down on him again in the fourth by holding him scoreless. Warriors coach Steve Kerr took Butler out for good with still 7:06 remaining in the game.