MIAMI — Mike Brown went back to his big lineup in Game 3.
With Miles McBride unavailable for personal reasons — a league source said there was a death in his family — Ariel Hukporti rejoined the starters Sunday for a taller configuration.
It matched the philosophy Brown outlined a few days prior, when the coach said he’ll adjust based on the opponent.
In the opener, the Cavaliers had Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley — and Brown responded with a big frontcourt. In the second game, the Celtics were small and Brown pushed OG Anunoby to power forward by giving McBride the start.
Against Miami, the Heat had two potential centers in the frontcourt — Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware — and Brown gave the nod to Hukporti, who went from a DNP on Friday to the starting lineup on Sunday.
Still, Brown didn’t show much faith in Hukporti, who logged just 10 scoreless minutes in the 115-107 loss.
Josh Hart, who missed the opener and most preseason with back spasms, is no longer under a minutes restriction. He played 29 minutes Sunday with five rebounds, five assists and two points.
Hart was limited to just 19 minutes in the previous game by design.
Precious Achiuwa didn’t make it to a revenge game.
The former Knick, who played parts of the past two seasons under Tom Thibodeau, was cut by the Heat before the regular season and is a free agent. He had signed a one-year, nonguaranteed deal after purchasing a posh condo in South Beach during the summer.
Last season with the Knicks, the 26-year-old grew frustrated with his role and cryptically told The Post after the team was eliminated from the playoffs: “I would definitely say the way I see the game and the league has changed. Just from this season.”
He was hopeful that his experiences and a newfound outlook would translate to a spot with the Heat.
They didn’t.
“I think what I do differently now is, I’ve been to the playoffs pretty much every year in my career,” Achiuwa told reporters before he was waived. “I’ve played a lot of playoff basketball and I’ve gained a lot of experience in that sense, just being able to compete at a high level. … I think that’s helped me grow as a player.”
