One of the biggest issues for the Miami Heat this season is maintaining big leads.
That issue reared its head again Saturday evening against the Chicago Bulls, losing 114-109 after possessing a 17-point second-half advantage. It marked the 14th time this season that the Heat have lost a game this season where it led in the fourth quarter and the 16th time they have blown a double-digit lead this season, the second-most in the NBA.
Miami was outscored 36-20 in the final quarter. After Saturday’s loss, it possesses the league’s second-worst NET Rating (minus-14.4) in the fourth quarter and the fourth-worst in clutch situations (minus-20.8), defined as a situation where the score is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining in the game.
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro, who finished with 21 points, struggled with his decision-making down the stretch once again, which has been an issue more often than not over the last two months; since Jan. 1, he is 12-of-50 in clutch situations and 5-of-31 from 3-point range.
Herro hauled down eight rebounds with six assists in 37 minutes, shooting 8-of-19 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers. Davion Mitchell dished out a team-high eight assists while Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins tallied 22 points apiece, leading the team.
Miami shot just 42.3 percent and 30.2 percent (13-43) from deep, though those percentages dwindled to 39.1 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively, over the final 12 minutes.
The Bulls got huge boosts from Josh Giddey, who finished with a 26-point triple-double (12 assists, 10 rebounds) and Coby White, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half.
The Heat drop to five games below .500 for the first time this season. They’ve continued to reach new lows despite having control in several winnable games. Miami is back to being in position to earn their draft pick with 18 games left; does Pat Riley have any hair left after this season?
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
This is what happens when you have 3 guards that a) make a combined $75 million and b) are incapable of even decent defense. We just always have bad defenders in the floor, the opposing team gets to go downhill on us constantly, and then we have no real point guard to get easy offense. Everything is forced at the end of the game. Forced 3s, forced layups.
This is what happens when you have 3 guards that a) make a combined $75 million and b) are incapable of even decent defense. We just always have bad defenders in the floor, the opposing team gets to go downhill on us constantly, and then we have no real point guard to get easy offense. Everything is forced at the end of the game. Forced 3s, forced layups.
ll be like this until as long as we have Terry, Duncan, and Tyler. 1 of those is the most you can have on a serious team, and only Tyler is worth his contract. He won’t be worth an extension though.
We will be like this until as long as we have Terry, Duncan, and Tyler. 1 of those is the most you can have on a serious team, and only Tyler is worth his contract. He won’t be worth an extension though.
This is a recording.
hfl, somebody stole your profile.
Are we tanking
Tanking infers losing deliberately and the team has never done that and I hope they
never do. Trying your best and losing may suck but at least it isn’t quitting.
I understand and agree with you about shouldn’t tank but this is so bad at this point I’m wondering if they are
not tanking there spoboting.guy doesnt play ware the whole 4th has terry and davion out there smh
You can strategically rest your veterans and allow the younger players to acquire NBA experience and demonstrate what they can do against NBA competition, without tanking.
Tanking in sports refers to the practice of intentionally fielding non-competitive teams to take advantage of league rules that benefit losing teams. Tanking teams are usually seeking top picks in the next draft, since league rules generally give the highest draft picks to the previous season’s worst teams.
If Miami is a play-in team any way you look at it, it isn’t really tanking if they use their younger players more than their veterans, if it doesn’t give them an unfair benefit, such as an automatic lottery pick. It’s not tanking the way every other team in the NBA has tanked. It’s more of a transitional evaluation process, prior to the play-in round and playoffs.
If you look at this situation the right way, it is an opportunity for Miami to rest and rehabilitate it’s veterans (physically and mentally) and closely evaluate their young players, without being accused of tanking. It’s an unexpected stroke of luck that Spo would be foolish not to take advantage of. It sure would help identify those players Miami will want to re-sign, trade or keep at the end of the season.
100%. Thank you.
This loss, with most of our players healthy, and playing an alsoran, should be a sobering indication of how far we have fallen. It’s been going on for two years now, but we kept ignoring the signs. A new direction is needed, with new leadership. The players aren’t far off, just a couple of quality acquisitions. The problem is more with the GM and the coach now, a previous strength. It’s right there for everyone to see, but we keep acting like it’s heresy to confront it.
we arent far off.one ss away one coach away one gm away.time for diff coach gm .but mickeys not gonna get rid of his best friend and their step son.spos use of personnel is fireable.pats transactions or lack of last few years fireable offenses.pat and dwade will always be the icons of the heat dwades gone pat needs to go
The fact someone downvoted this shows also these fans are good with the leadership and the coaching and also the team. Some fans happy when they win when this team should be tanking should’ve started last season imo. And yes that includes Jimmy half assing ass should’ve been gone as well. I was one of the first calling for this and I’ll be one of the first saying this. Mickey should sell pat retire spo should’ve been in the FO a lil after Steven’s went and they had a great season with udoka going to the finals his first year. It’s a copycat league yet Mia not trying to copying anyone which is why they finna be a mediocre stuck in purgatory picking draft picks in the teens perennial playin contender til necessary changes are made
eric may i ask u why u never play ware in the 4th.i should say ira why dont u ever ask him this ?.
Shoutout to Tyler Herro.
He’s been getting better every year. He’s now playing at an all-star level. But clearly he has one more level to get to.
Now he’s gotta learn to close out games in the 4th quarter.
prior to all star break playing at all star level.after asg no.if tys your finisher u in a heap trouble.
What do you think that next step is?
Herro not being the best player
exactly
I can agree with that, but why should Arison sell when there are 20 teams that have lower payrolls than the Heat? If it is because they have paid for the wrong players, that might be a fair point. But it can’t be because he’s cheap.
hes cheap to afraid to go over apron.one of richest man in the world
He is #137 in the country and about #400 in the world, so he’s rich, but many are richer.
I can appreciate that you don’t know and don’t care to know about how the aprons work, despite my previous explanations. Going over the second apron would have severe consequences for the Heat now and in the future. If you do it, you better have a roster that’s one of the favorites to win it all.
As for being cheap, then 21 of the 30 owners are cheap by your standards since 20 teams are spending less than the Heat.
Riley has to play it close to the margins in order to have a competitive team. Unfortunately, with existing bad contracts, there is very little room to improve the team. The team was unable to bring in reinforcements, like Lillard, DeRozan, Miles Bridges, Tobias Harris or others, because it was wasting money on players like Robinson, Rozier and “quiet quitter.”
⬆️ SM understands what I am saying. He also could have added Lowry to the list – not because of what Lowry brought to the table, but because of the size of his contract. With us, $28 million per season. Since then, $3 million per season.