The Miami Heat’s once much needed breakthrough of eight wins in an 11-game stretch is very much behind them. They’ve now lost two straight after their Friday night loss to the OKC Thunder, 104-97, dropping to a 13-12 record on the season and hovering over the .500 mark again.
Jimmy Butler’s early-game exit in the first quarter forced Miami to have to adjust their game plan and schemes on the fly against the best team in the Western Conference. He was done for the night with just under five minutes to go in the opening period, in what appeared to be a rolled ankle that caused him to hobble into the locker room. Oddly enough, the Heat deemed him done for the game due to an “illness” rather than the ankle injury.
His status is up in the air for the team’s second game of a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that the star did not travel with the team to their in-state rival, but may rejoin them at some point prior to the game.
Tyler Herro was masterful again against the Thunder, and did all he could offensively to help lead the way for the Heat.
Bam Adebayo contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds on 7 of 11 shooting. It was the 206th career double-double from the big man, which moved him into sole possession of second place in the most all-time for franchise history. He and Herro each played a total of 36 minutes, good for a team-high.
They got minimal efforts elsewhere across the rotation outside of Dru Smith’s usual impact. Smith dropped 13 points, 4 assists and two steals on 5 of 6 shooting from the field.
In a night where someone needed to step up with Butler sidelined, Terry Rozier continued to be a non-factor. He added just 7 points on abysmal effiency of 30% overall, and was limited to only 23 minutes off the bench due to his struggles.
Miami got out-worked on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 48-41, including 12 offensive boards for the Thunder to the Heat’s 7. The second-chance points was enough to ruin some momentum following defensive stops throughout the night. OKC’s Isaiah Hartenstein led in that department, with 13 points and a game-high 18 rebounds in a double-double effort.
The free throw battle featured both teams struggle, but the Thunder having a 71% to 65% edge. Miami missed seven crucial shots from the line, going 13 of 20 overall as a team. Turnovers also became a factor, where the Heat uncharacteristically committed 18 to the Thunder’s 14.
The last major statistical advantage for them came in 3-point efficiency, as the Heat shot just 30% to their 41%. Herro and Duncan Robinson combined for 6 of 21 shooting from deep in the starting backcourt— just not enough juice against a star studded guard duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylen Williams. The athleticism of 6-foot-5 Williams was on full display, as he lead the Thunder in scoring with 33 points.
With all things considered, the Heat still put themselves in a position to steal this win. It what was the team’s 14th “clutch game” of the season, they dropped to just a 5-9 record in those spots. This team has a lot to clean up in execution down the stretch, as they are ranked 19th in clutch time offense. Of course, free throws have been a part of that, being the NBA’s fourth-worst free throw shooting team (65.8%) in those situations.
Miami will get another chance to bounce back versus the fourth seed and 17-12 Magic, in what could be a crucial matchup to gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings, despite Butler’s availability being up in the air.
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We fought hard without Jimmy against a very good team. It was a night where three pointers didn’t go in, and to beat OKC we needed better from the arc.
Jimmy’s injury status is interesting, maybe the explanation has something to do with trade negotiations. I now believe a trade of Jimmy is in the offing- just an inkling I have.