Heat’s Herro out again Monday. And Heat addresses offensive problems

Ten days after the start of these NBA Finals, Tyler Herro’s status still hasn’t changed, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday.

The Heat’s starting shooting guard hasn’t received medical clearance to play in games and has been ruled out for Monday’s Game 5 (8:30 p.m., ABC).

Denver leads the series, 3-1.

Herro has been sidelined since fracturing his right hand in the playoff opener against Milwaukee eight weeks ago Sunday. The Heat said, at the time, that Herro would miss at least six weeks. But Herro still had swelling and discomfort seven weeks into his recovery.

Herro next season will begin a four-year, $130 million extension. He’s due $27 million, $29 million, $31 million and $33 million over the next four seasons.

OFFENSIVE DECLINE

▪ Spoelstra acknowledged “we need to do a better job overall with our offense. Some of the details. They made an adjustment, trying to stay home on our three point shooters. That’s not the first time we have faced that. It’s a great compliment to [our shooters].”

In its three losses in this series, the Heat is averaging 94 points and shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 32.3 percent on threes. In Miami’s one win (in Game 2), the Heat scored 111 and shot 47.7 percent from the field and 48.6 percent on threes.

When the Heat went 11-3 over its first 14 playoff games, the team averaged 114.9 points on 48 percent shooting.

In going 2-6 over the past eight games, Miami has averaged 99.4 points on 43.4 percent shooting.

In that 11-3 start to the playoffs, Jimmy Butler averaged 29.9 points on 51.5 percent shooting, compared with 22.8 points on 41.6 percent shooting in the 2-6 eight-game stretch since.

“I have to do a better job of getting guys open, whether it be off screens or off my attacks to make sure our shooters get the shots they normally get,” Butler said. “It’s not easy.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Monday would be the final game of Udonis Haslem’s 20-year career if the Heat loses Game 5.

“This whole season has been dedicated to him,” Max Strus said. “To get here for the Finals and to try to win a championship for him is always on our minds. We still have that opportunity, and we’re going to try to take advantage of it.”

▪ Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, sizing up the Heat and Denver’s defensive strategy on Sunday: “Max Strus is not shooting well but he’s getting some good looks. As long as we don’t give them the open stuff, we’re in a good spot. We gave them a couple easy dunks, easy layups last game. We take those away, we take away a lot of life they have and shut down their offense.

“We’re staying home with shooters and allowing [Aaron Gordon] to play one on one with Jimmy a lot. Same thing with Nikola Jokic” on Bam Adebayo.

Strus is 5 for 31 in the series and 5 for 26 on threes.

▪ Love stayed in Miami on Saturday for the birth of his and wife Kate Bock’s first child (a daughter) before joining the team on Sunday in Denver.

“I was able to make it in for our [Sunday] film session,” Love said. “I got a little bit of sleep.”

▪ Spoelstra has stuck with 6-11 Cody Zeller, to counter 6-11 Nikola Jokic’s size, with mixed results.

The Heat has been outscored by 29 points in 21 minutes in Zeller’s previous four games (minus 10 in two against Boston, minus 19 in two against Denver), before Zeller played better in the past two.

In the Heat’s Games 3 and 4 losses at home, Miami outscored Denver by nine points during Zeller’s 10 scoreless minutes on the court.

Jokic is shooting 7 for 9 - with five assists and two turnovers - when Zeller is guarding him in this series.

▪ Butler, Adebayo, Gabe Vincent, Strus and Caleb Martin are a combined 5 for 24 when defended by former UM guard Bruce Brown in this series.

▪ Spoelstra, good-naturedly addressing Heat mascot Burnie being decked by mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in a Game 4 skit gone wrong, but then going home after a brief visit to the emergency room:

“That’s the Miami Heat toughness we’re talking about. He should have been allowed to take the first swing. We won’t reveal who that is [in the Burnie custom]. He’s not going to miss any time.”

▪ After scoring 18 points in 23 minutes in Game 2, Haywood Highsmith has received just nine minutes in three games since, including just three seconds in Game 4.

On the plus side, he’s shooting 8 for 16 on threes in these playoffs.

He has 12 steals and two blocks in the playoffs, but the player he’s guarding is shooting 50 percent (33 for 66), compared with 42.5 percent during the regular season. That 42.5 led the Heat defensively, per the NBA’s tracking data.

“Obviously minutes have decreased; it is what it is,” he said Sunday.

▪ Butler noted earlier in these Finals “that “part of my routine on game days and off days is I watch all types of sports of people who inspire me to be great.”

Soccer star Neymar “is one of them. So, I’ve probably seen each one of his highlight videos on YouTube way too many times, Sasha [Alexander Zverev] tennis, Carlito [Carlos Alcaraz] tennis, you go down – Serena [Williams], everybody. I love greatness in any way that you view it.”

Neymar, a friend of Butler, attended Games 3 and 4 in Miami.

During these playoffs, Butler often has gone to the gym at night to get up shots. He did that in Boulder in between the first and second games of the Finals.