Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 123-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings:

— And then it happened Monday night.

— This time unlike in early January, when so many regulars were out that coach Erik Spoelstra sought alternative chemistry,

— No, this time, Max Strus replaced Duncan Robinson in the starting lineup while the rest of the lineup remained intact.

— So it was Strus opening alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker.

— It was the first time Strus started alongside those four.

— Those five had played a grand total of 15 minutes together prior to Monday.

— The Heat entered 5-1 with Strus as a starter.

— The move came on Strus’ 26th birthday.

— The Heat entered 4-1 with Robinson playing as a reserve.

— It was the first time Robinson did not start since Jan. 15.

— Strus then was called for his second four 3:26 into the game.

— He remained in.

— With the start, Butler tied Kevin Edwards for 25th on the Heat all-time regular season list, at 163.

— Listed earlier as questionable due to knee pain, Tucker remained in the starting lineup.

— Tyler Herro, also listed as questionable due to knee pain, again played as sixth man.

— Robinson then followed off the bench, entering with Dewayne Dedmon with 3:29 left in the opening period.

— The bench rotation was further altered with Caleb Martin out with a calf bruise.

— Back after a three-game absence due to a bruised toe was Gabe Vincent.

— He played as ninth man, rounding out the initial rotation.

— Ahead of Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris.

— Butler’s first 3-pointer was the 550th of his career.

— Along the way, Herro passed Tyler Johnson for 24th on the Heat all-time scoring list.

— Spoelstra was back after missing Saturday night’s blowout loss to the Nets for a family matter.

— “Losing can be very humbling,” Spoelstra said. “And losing in that fashion is extremely humbling. And that forces you to really come together and work for solutions and really address things with detail and that’s where we are right now.”

— Spoelstra before the game addressed assistant Chris Quinn coaching on Saturday night in his place.

— “He has the full trust of everybody,” Spoelstra said. “Of everybody on the coaching staff, team, and this is something that he has been developing now for several years. He runs some of our team meetings, he does some of our film sessions, he does large parts of our prep in practices, our shootaround.”

— Spoelstra added, “So I think maybe it seemed like a significant move to everybody outside, but he’s already done all of these kinds of responsibilities. It’s just a matter of moving over to that seat during an actual game and he was fully prepared for it.”

— With the Heat no longer holding Kyle Guy’s rights following his release from his two-way contract, he has returned to play for the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, where he played before signing with the Heat.

— Amid Villanova’s Final Four success in the NCAA Tournament, Sacramento coach Alvin Gentry spoke of the success of Kings guard Donte DiVincenzo.

— “To me, when you get a Villanova player, I think Jay Wright prepares his guys to play in the NBA as well as any coach out there,” Gentry said. So you get a toughness about them, and a competitiveness about him. You can see that he has come up with just game-winning plays, and then just defensively what he brings to the table. I think he’s been really good.”

— Gentry, a former Heat interim coach, also addressed the Heat pregame.

— “I think if you look at their team and the way they go out, they [are] gonna be a huge factor when the playoffs start, anyway,” he said.

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