After climbing back to .500, the Miami Heat have jumped up a spot in this week’s power rankings on NBA.com.

Last week, the Miami Heat stood at 18. They have only played two games since clinching home wins against the 76ers and Mavericks. The Heat had a rocky, uneven start to the young season but sit with the seventh seed in a weaker Eastern Conference.

Now, the Heat stand at 17 in the rankings. Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup following a four-game absence. Butler has started at point guard the last two games due to the injury to starting point guard Terry Rozier. He has been more efficient from the field while also dishing out 11 assists those two starts.

The Heat are also slightly improving defensively. In the article posted to NBA.com, a takeaway on the team’s overall play was described:

“The Heat are back to within just a hair of ranking in the top 10 defensively again. But they benefitted from facing the struggling Sixers (without Tyrese Maxey) and shorthanded Mavs (no Luka Dončić) last week, and they haven’t been very good defensively (122 points allowed per 100 possessions) in 168 minutes with Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro on the floor together.”

This week, the Heat embark on a four-game stretch including NBA Cup Play. Tonight, the Heat take on the Bucks at home in group play before travelling to Charlotte tomorrow night. They will close out the week with a home-and-home against the Toronto Raptors on Friday and Sunday.

With four games this week, there is an opportunity for the Heat to establish themselves as contenders in the East and move up the ranks.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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