MIAMI — It might be oversimplification to call it the voice of victory, but among the reasons the Miami Heat believe they have gone from seven-game losing streak to victories in four of their past five has been increased communication.

“I feel like we’ve committed to communication,” center Bam Adebayo said, with the Heat in a three-day break before returning for a Super Bowl Sunday game at Kaseya Center against the Boston Celtics. “I feel like that’s been the biggest thing that we all went to work on, individually and as a team. Being able to communicate makes everything easier for us.

“I think we’ve just really rallied around each other, just being positive. I feel like that’s helping us in a big way, just coming to work happy, positive mindset, everybody willing to sacrifice and it’s been helping us.”

Forward Jimmy Butler said it is as if a cloud has been lifted.

“I think we’re really back to having fun again, you have to say that,” he said. “But we’re smiling and joking around. When you’re having fun, good things happen, I actually think. Even though we lost to the Clippers (Sunday), we were out there having fun.

“We were still hooping, playing the right way. I think we understand who we are. I think we may have gotten lost a little bit in trying to be individuals instead of a group. I think we got back to that.”

On the court, the loudest voice during the turnaround has belonged to Butler, who kept the winning going on Wednesday night with a strong close to the 116-104 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs that left him with a 17-point, 11-assist, 11-rebound triple-double.

“We sure look and feel a lot different when he’s healthy and in attack mode and having fun out there and really imposing his will on both sides of the floor,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

It was an effort, Spoelstra said, that transcended Butler’s triple-double stats. Against the Spurs, Butler had three steals for the second consecutive night (having also done it in Tuesday night’s home victory over the Orlando Magic), now with steals in a season-high nine consecutive games.

“He was so active defensively,” Spoelstra said. “He was basically a one-man zone. We were in our man to man, but he was protecting everything and patrolling and looking for any kind of mistake the offense would make.”

The triple-double was the 16th in the regular season over Butler’s career, his franchise-record 12th with the Heat (LeBron James is second on that list, with nine).

Formally named

Although he previously had all but confirmed his participation, Heat rookie swing Jaime Jaquez Jr. formally was named Thursday to the four-player field for the Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Saturday on Feb. 17 in Indianapolis.

Also named to the competition were Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Knicks forward Jacob Toppin and G League player Matt McClung, the winner of last year’s contest.

Jaquez becomes the Heat’s first participant in the competition since Derrick Jones Jr. in 2020, with Jones winning that event.

The Heat also had Harold Miner as a winner of the competition in 1993 and ’94 in the two years he competed (Miner also was named to participate in 1994, but was injured).

The Heat’s only other participant in the franchise’s 36 seasons was Billy Thompson, who placed seventh in 1990.

Jaquez participated and won a 2019 dunk contest while in high school, winning the competition over current NBA player Kenyon Martin Jr. and Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London.

Jaquez also is scheduled to participate in the Rising Stars competition for first- and second-year players on the Friday of All-Star Weekend.

The Heat have not had any players selected for the 3-point contest or the Skills Challenge during All-Star Saturday.

Tyler Herro represented the Heat in last year’s 3-point contest, placing sixth. The Heat’s most recent participant in the Skills Challenge was Adebayo, who won the event in  2020.