Inside Heat locker room: What happens when seven-game losing streak ends. And a zone admission

Greeted by a simple “Hi Kevin. How are you?” affable center Kevin Love stared at the Heat’s locker room clock before Wednesday’s game against Sacramento.

“I’ll know in three hours,” he said, smiling.

When a team loses seven games in a row — especially a Heat franchise that has done this degree of winning — the collective mood hinges largely on whether the streak is extended or extinguished.

As lopsided losses piled up, the weight on the shoulders of Heat players and coaches had grown to the point that you might have needed a crane to remove it if Wednesday had delivered another defeat.

Instead, the Heat played its best game in weeks — and one of the best ball-distributing games in franchise history — in dispatching the Kings 115-106 and stopping the proverbial bleeding.

There have been bigger regular-season wins in Heat history, to be sure. But none likely produced more relief, considering this was Miami’s longest losing streak since 2008.

There was “a lot of built-up tension,” Tyler Herro said. “We all want to win. We are all competitors. When you’re sort of in this weird funk, it’s hard to get over it until you can get over the hump. We wanted to do this all together, not point fingers, not go our separate ways.”

And finally, after two weeks in a funk, “we were smiling” during the game, Jimmy Butler pointed out. “We were legit having fun again, which is what I said had to happen if we wanted to win. I’m glad we made shots, I’m glad we defended, I’m glad we won. But I’m glad we were smiling.”

Here’s how the streak was vanquished:

▪ Butler’s excellence. On Wednesday, he delivered 31 points on efficient 10-for-14 shooting, coupled with seven rebounds, six assists and a steal. This was a third consecutive “Playoff Jimmy” performance, served up when needed most.

“When he attacks like that, that solves a lot of things for us offensively,” Erik Spoelstra said.

▪ Bam Adebayo’s relentlessness. He fought through an 0-for-4 start, scored 16, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out four assists and registered his usual high marks on the effort meter.

“Everybody held each other accountable” during a no-sugercoating-allowed Tuesday film session that Adebayo believes made a difference. “We connected [in that meeting], talked about getting back committed.”

▪ The best night in the second incarnation of Josh Richardson’s Heat career. There were 13 points in the second quarter, sparking a run that put Miami up 18, and then two daggers delivered late. The 24 points, on 9-of-15 shooting, came five days after Richardson was a healthy scratch against New York.

“It’s hard,” Richardson said of being removed from the rotation for a game. “We got a lot of guys that can play, contribute, so I really had to go home and think, figure it out, like, ‘What do I have to do better to get minutes?’ And, ‘How can I help the team win games?’ So I just changed my mindset to straight defensive, gritty plays.”

Richardson — whose six threes were needed in the absence of Duncan Robinson (concussion protocol) — said he flew his trainer in from California for private gym work “just trying to keep my mind right. You’ve got to be a professional about it. Some guys will pout or not handle it the right way.”

Adebayo — who sits next to his buddy Richardson in the locker room — cracked to reporters: “You want to tell them you were late for shootaround? He got a couple minutes extra sleep, gave us the energy to get the W.” (Richardson sheepishly confirmed he was late.)

▪ Superb playmaking by the Heat’s starting backcourt.

Even on a three-point, 1-of-8 shooting night, Terry Rozier was a net positive, with 10 assists and one turnover.

Adebayo appreciates Rozier “adapting to our style of play. He was making plays. It feels like he was all over the court.”

Herro shot judiciously (nine times), made four of them, scored 14, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists, including three to Adebayo for dunks.

“We’re both able to handle the ball, setting guys up,” Herro said of his new partnership with Rozier.

Herro and Rozier combined for 18 of the Heat’s season-high 38 assists. Never in Heat history had such a high percentage of the team’s baskets (38 of 42) come off assists.

“I had not seen that before, 40 assists on 42 made field goals,” Spoelstra said before the final boxscore eliminated two assists from the Heat’s total. “That’s the definition of pouring into each other and generating the right shots.”

▪ A more familiar look from the Heat’s reserves.

There was the comforting sight of Caleb Martin dancing the baseline and converting his circus reverse layups.

There were signs of the aggressive, active Jaime Jaquez Jr. after missing five games with a groin injury.

There was Love scoring or assisting on five baskets in less than 13 minutes.

▪ A determination that the defensive slippage would end here and now.

The Kings scored 106, 12 below their average, and shot just 12 for 40 on threes.

“That’s our identity,” Herro said. “We hang our hat on defense.”

Much of the damage was done in zone. According to Heat.com’s Couper Moorhead, the Heat allowed 0.73 points per possession with its zone (37 possessions) and 1.04 points per possession during the 48 possessions it played man defense.

What the zone accomplishes, Adebayo said, is “getting them out of routine sets where they have got to run something different, that people aren’t used to running. It definitely helped us.”

Butler said “I’m not particularly best in a zone, but whatever this squad needs me to do, I will do the best to my ability. I think I need more work in the zone than anybody honestly. [But] the zone was great for us.”

Now the challenge is to maintain the same focus and energy when the Heat (25-23) meets the dreadful Wizards (9-38) on Friday night in downtown Washington (7 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). Duncan Robinson will remain sidelined for that game.

“No exhale,” Adebayo said. “Just gratitude.”