Winderman’s view: Heat again at a loss with lack of wherewithal from Kel’el Ware

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 119-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers:

– This was never going to be a straight-line progression.

– Not with a 20-year-old rookie still growing into his 7-foot body.

– Which is why they call it a learning curve.

– So as uneven as it was for Kel’el Ware in Monday night’s loss against Mark Williams and the Hornets, it was arguably worse in Wednesday night’s first half against Ivica Zubac and the Clippers.

– So at the start of the second half, Ware was on the bench, with Haywood Highsmith opening the third quarter in his place.

– It was the second time in Ware’s past five appearances he was benched by Erik Spoelstra to start a second half.

– With Spoelstra also doing the same in the Feb. 28 victory over the Pacers.

– It was the right move at the right time.

– But if the approach is to play big lineups with Bam Adebayo at power forward, then there also has to be a reliable Plan B at center behind Ware.

– Kevin Love clearly isn’t it.

– Taking on more of the Udonis Haslem player/coach mode.

– And it’s not as if Highsmith is anyone’s idea of a true power player.

– So is Thomas Bryant missed?

– Again, Ware has had his moments.

– But there also will be moments like this amid the play-in race when there might again need to be an alternative.

– The Heat remained with a starting lineup of Ware, Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. That lineup entered 2-6.

– The Clippers opened with a lineup of  James Harden, Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovi?, Nicolas Batum and Zubac.

– Highsmith was first off the Heat bench.

– Duncan Robinson followed.

– Then Terry Rozier.

– With Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson entering together to make it 10 deep.

– Robinson matched his season-best streak with his 15th consecutive game with at least one 3-pointer.

– And kept going from there, in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season.

– Rozier’s first shot was the 8,000th of his career.

– With his fourth assists, Adebayo passed LeBron James for fifth place on the franchise all-time list.

– Wiggins’ sixth point was the 14,000th of his career.

– Spoelstra spoke before the game of the outside perspective of needing more consistency from Wiggins.

– “He hasn’t right now had a large sample size with us,” Spoelstra said. “He knows what we need from him, what we want from him, and he wants to provide that, as well.”

– Spoelstra added, “I think it just takes a little bit of time, just to feel comfortable in your setting, understand what your role is.”

– Wiggins responded with 11 points in Wednesday night’s third quarter, keeping the Heat afloat.

– Former Heat guard Brian Shaw coached the Clippers, with Tyronn Lue away from the team due to a back issue.

– Shaw was asked before the game of having to go on nights of back-to-backs without Kawhi Leonard.

– “I mean obviously it’s good for the coach to be able to look down the bench when you’re diagramming something, especially at critical portions of the game to be able to call on somebody like him,” he said.

– Goran Dragic was among those in the crowd.