Despite the Miami Heat coming out scorching offensively, they were unable to take care of business against the visiting Boston Celtics. Miami saw an early 19-point lead, including a 64-54 edge by halftime, vanish in the second half— particularly in the fourth quarter.
The Heat got throttled in that final period, as Boston had the overwhelming 36-21 advantage. Their comeback was spearheaded by Anfernee Simons dominant 39-point eruption on 13 of 28 shooting off the bench. Jaylen Brown also chipped in 27 points with some timely clutch shots down the stretch for the Celtics.
It was the second straight game of strong scoring efforts from all three of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Norman Powell. They all combined for 70 points on 55% from the field.
Powell led with a team-high 26 points on an efficient 10 of 15 shooting alone.
Adebayo and Herro each added 22 points, as Herro came out on fire to begin the game— but unfortunately cooled off following halftime. That duo also both missed a pair of layups that could’ve tied the game for the Heat on back-to-back possessions with under a minute left in the game.
Andrew Wiggins had a solid two-way impact with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. In Davion Mitchell’s absence with a shoulder contusion, Pelle Larsson filled in with the spot start. As for the bench, Miami missed Jaime Jaquez Jr’s playmaking in this one, especially to help match Simons scoring output for Boston’s second unit. Jaquez was also sidelined with a knee injury for this matchup.
Coach Erik Spoelstra oddly limited Kel’el Ware to just nine minutes of playing time as the backup big man. Because of that, there was virtually no real production off the bench outside of rookie Kasparas Jakucionis’ 12 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes. Jakucionis received the most amount of time amongst the rest of the bench players.
All three of Dru Smith, Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio provided minimal impacts.
Both the Heat and Celtics shot 45% as a team, with Miami owning a 36% edge in 3-point shooting to Boston’s 33%. But the real difference maker in Boston’s favor was the offensive rebounding. They owned the glass with a 51-40 advantage, including 18-12 on offensive boards— making Spoelstra’s limitations on Ware’s minutes questionable.
Miami will now have to somehow regroup for a rematch against the reigning champion OKC Thunder to conclude their homestand on Saturday night.
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precious 20 pts 14 rebs
I wonder why Riley didn’t keep him if he knew he didn’t have anyone else lined up to fill the position? No NBA team can get by with only 2 legit front court players. Lack of a third big has cost the Heat games.
theres two guys that could have guarded jb one was injured and one never plays.wiggins maybe so why was ty in the game at all hes a hunted man at closing time.poor deployment of personnel by eric never ends sorry thats way i see it.nothing against top 15 just not using personnel correctly
Uh oh, hfl better hold on to those tissues. Per Bleacher Report…
If the Memphis Grizzlies end up finding a trade partner for Ja Morant prior to the Feb. 5 deadline, it doesn’t sound like the Miami Heat will be his landing spot.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, the Heat’s involvement in talks for Morant has been “overstated” because the organization is “laser focused on avoiding taking on” long-term money with an eye toward the summer of 2027 when several superstar players could become free agents.
Of course, this might only be posturing.
And do they really mean 2027? As opposed to 2026? We will need to recruit some young’uns for hhh to take over for the old fogies here.
he wants to be here
So? So did Lillard
As I recall, “quitter” said he wanted to be traded to Phoenix, Houston or Dallas. We see how that turned out.
I read they are trying to save capital to trade for Giannis this summer, if he becomes available.
“an eye toward the summer of 2027“
This is Mia heat culture. Keep putting off the inevitable (tanking) while hoping and praying summer after summer they can do what they did 16/17 years ago. Essentially the team has been stuck in purgatory save for 2 years since 2014. This how you know this franchise is being ran by a guy going off yesteryears. No FA worth anything is hitting the open market especially not a ss lmao and I’ve seen that list lmao by then everyone on there will be older and most ss are already in their 30s on that list. Pat needs to go.
PS: I absolutely despise that fat tub of lard havent seen his man part in 30 years POS
Brian Windhorst fatass waste of space
Haven’t they said that before? Seems to me the laser focus stays the same but the year changes.
I wish they wouldn’t tease us like they do. The truth is that if we ever did acquire a disgruntled superstar, it will come as a total surprise, and it won’t be a player whose preferred team was telegraphed far in advance.
I don’t really disagree with any of you folks on this issue.
Interesting article on Kel’el Ware. He needs playing time to develop…even at the expense of losing games. This is a play-in team any way you look at it. Worse case scenario a lottery team. He’s 21, he’s going to have bad days. Same goes for Jakucionis. They are young. They have high ceilings. They are the future.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/heats_erik_spoelstra_gives_kelel_ware_harsh_reality_check_after_2nd_half_dnp_vs_celtics/s1_17113_43339154
Ware definitely needs more playing time, it’s criminal that he only got 9 minutes, when he’s our best rebounder. We got outrebounded, and killed on 2nd chance points, which is infuriating cuz Boston isn’t a big team. One thing I never liked about spo is stubbornness for small ball/ slow adjustments. Bam and ware is the number 1 rated rebounding duo in the league, but don’t tell him that. Needed him especially with bam only having 4 rebounds. Kas was bright spot tho, And lastly herro got cooked badly on D smh. We Need to make some trades.
JAK got white mans disease little slow on the footwork.how many white pgs in association.needs to be a 2g
Luka, Giddey and a bunch of half white ones, e.g. Cunningham, Haliburton, Curry, Young, White, Jamal Murray etc.
Hallelujah, facts
Strange game.
Strange because it seems several players didn’t play according their strengths. Simone, for example, was always around to get an offensive rebound, rarely made it, but hardly shot a 3p. Niko was terrible in offence, bad quite good in defence.
And nobody rebounded well. This team should have double rebounds then Celts, but it was the other way around. Ware was outrebounded by players half of his size.
At least rookie Kas made a good impression.
Having Herro in final minutes is a lost case. He cant defend Brown or most of other players. .
Good comments. I agree with all your observations. Another thing I will add is that Herro could not buy a bucket down the stretch. He shoots very well most of a game, but in crunch time, not so much. He used to be clutch.
Herro is not a closer. He never has been. His stats are are “empty calories” scored early in games before he folds late. What Miami needs more than anything else is a legitimate “Closer”…like DeMar DeRozan.
“Clutch time” is officially defined by the NBA as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. Last year DeRozan ranked #5 in clutch points behind Edwards, Young, Brunson and Jokic and ahead of Maxey, Curry, Durant, Fox and Garland.
Cool stat. Thanks for posting.
Thanks. I have liked his offensive game for years. He would function well on second unit and at closing with players like Mitchell, Powell, Wiggins and Bam.
i like his offensive game till crunch time and when he has fresh legs.but boy that d makes him almost unplayable as hhh and i havent pointed out for years he lets in more than he scores .no way anybody gonna take him in a trade for good player unless jjj ware part of package.i really feel for kelel and even keshad.the way they have been used or non used .fireable offense .your fired spobot.i wish
R-O-Z-I-E-R for DeRozan. Easier for Sacto to tank that way, plus DeMar has partially guaranteed contract ($10M) in 2026-2027.
Herro d poor? Yes, absolutely. But I have already provided consolidated evidence that he DOES NOT give up more than he gets.
I have always agreed on this point. He never gives up as much as he scores. He does get targeted and probably does give back half of what he scores. So, he definitely has value but his contract issues scares off teams. He also does sometimes wilt against highly athletic teams, especially in crunch time. For these reasons, he’s hard to move.,
that was just bad letting jalen abuse him in 4th eric never learns
comeon herro guard jalen come on kas guard simon ball game .any human being can see those guys gertting abused in the 4th.we had no shot.jalens baskets were so ez.simon was just playground balling on kasy russell.to much athleticism and shake and bake it was beautiful thing to watch unless your a heat fan.
There was the silver lining of Kaspar. Those were his best minutes yet as a pro.
I do think that was a winnable game that Spo made mistakes in his rotations on down the stretch and rightfully can be blamed for losing. Doesn’t happen that often, not because he coaches so great or usually does better with his rotations. He doesn’t do anything special on any other night that stands out to me. But, usually nothing he does costs us a game. But, it did last night.
I have recently become not a fan of Spo anymore and haven’t liked Riley for years. That’s just my opinion. I think both could be upgraded on. I can understand others seeing it differently and I know they both excelled at their jobs before. But, are they good in the here and now?
And if you want to observe one of Riley’s weaknesses as a GM, stay tuned as he blows the Morant deal. What he does is lowball the other team so bad they become offended. Then some other team swoops in. It’s not the only way Riley screws up, but if you want to see him make a mistake in real time, just observe him now. We are the front runners for Moran. Riley should reel him in. He will only have himself to blame if he doesn’t.
Well, I don’t want the team to overpay for Ja either. If we get him, fine, if not fine. Remember, they have to work with the salaries. They can’t just trade Jaquez for him. That mean ole cap luxury tax lurks. So if not Herro, some combo of Rozier contract or Wiggins.
Yes, there is always that way to see it (as avoiding an overpay), so Riley never gets truly held accountable. He did do what I described with Lillard. But, then again, Lillard didn’t exactly work out for the Bucks either.
It’s hard to pin down what is an offensive low ball offer and what is a good deal that takes advantage of the other team’s predicament. Riley worked his low ball thing beautifully for Powell, but you can’t do it every time. There is the likelihood that Miami is/was originally Morant’s preferred destination and he was ours to lose, which has now apparently happened. We don’t know if he offended the other GM, but something changed.
I did want Morant and feel the risk, which is substantial, was worth it. We are just treading water here and no other deal will likely be any better. In other words, it’s better than doing nothing. I feel pretty sure that doing nothing probably sucks more.
Decisions made out of desperation generally don’t work out well. If Miami engages in a trade, let it be the other team that is desperate or tanking and looking to shed salary.
I don’t think Memphis will take Wiggins or Rozier. They may take Herro and Fontecchio. That would be best since you CANNOT routinely have Morant, Herro and Powell on the floor at the same time. They would get killed defensively.
Again, I would prefer a 2 way PG such as Dejounte Murray. But that’s just me. Maybe a 3 way trade with Kuminga to N.O., Wiggins to Warriors and Murray to Heat.
He’ll only have himself to blame if he does and it doesn’t work. Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Team has gone 7-14 since late November. They stopped running and gunning. They are caught between two styles of play, old and new
Riley would rather make a lowball offer and lose a deal than overpay and regret it. Either way, fans won’t be happy.
I agree with most of what you said, but there isn’t a clear upgrade on spo, whether you like him or not. he’s gonna be coaching the upcoming Olympic team for a reason. But having said that, it’s maddening knowing every season he will lose us 3 to 5 games from stubbornness,small ball, rotations, and slow adjustments. Every coach will lose you some games. I do agree Riley can be upgraded upon, but that won’t happen until he retires.
I think I know why the team doesn’t tank not pride not heat culture its because maybe the executives and those in charge know spo can’t or doesn’t know how to develop players if they aren’t underdog undrafted league players. If your pick 1st round he doesn’t have a clue due to all his small ball position less bs he spews
As hfl says, he doesn’t want the arena empty while they rebuild. He knows he won’t be around to see it through.
This is the game we should have definitely won. The inconsistency really hurts us. We are up by 19 in the first half and in the end we fall apart. It’s frustrating to watch. It doesn’t seem the coaches can make it work with the current roster. I hate to say it, but sometimes it seems that even the coaches don’t have a clue what to do. Anyway, changes are inevitable.
just speak what u see spot on theres a certain homer here will be offended but i sent him some custom made heat kleenex tissues in the mail to help him get by this rough patch here
You can wipe your butt with that Kleenex. You have absolutely no ability to offend me or hurt my feelings. Tell me where I made a statement that’s not true or fair. You can’t. You just make stuff up. Mox nix.
I am hoping those changes occur before the deadline. It could get trickier if we wait until after the season because then every team is competing for players whereas now only a few are looking to deal. Of course, after the season, the positves are the Rozier and Simone contracts expire.
Powell’s and Johnson’s contracts also expire. In addition, Wiggins, if he isn’t extended, may opt out and sign with Warriors, Lakers or some other team, if he hasn’t been traded before deadline.
I hope so too. I feel like this team has no direction. It’s been like this since the failed Lillard trade. There were two disappointing seasons and two disappointing first round exits and this seems like the third season with the same pattern. There’s been too much of running it back for my taste. I am losing my joy.
If this is happening at the college level…imagine what may be going on at the pro level. Now you need to wonder if every “quiet quitter” isn’t making of ton of money on the side. Jus sayin.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/dozens-of-ncaa-basketball-players-charged-in-point-shaving-scheme/vi-AA1UjrDP?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=01873f0872a6450cd6c21821c6369094&ei=65
only terry does stuff like that so far at least
Maybe one of only a few who got caught. People can get rich off of dogging it, if they don’t get caught.
char wash coming in a year or two they will be better than us unless we make changes
Young talented early lottery picks get you there eventually. Picking in the teens every year or every other year does not. Making the playin when the team should’ve tanked last year didn’t help same thing that’s about to happen this year
Or, get a disgruntled player on the cheap. Seems like they never choose us anymore. But that’s the only way this formula works. Butler made us relevant for years. But, what you describe above, what we have been doing over the last few years, doesn’t really get you anywhere unless you get that disgruntled superstar. Being a perennial play in team is nothing to brag about. I’d rather tank than go thru this. Tanking at least brings hope. There is no hope in our current approach.
not all the time how did knicks build there team indiana lakers clippers denver .pat has not been a good gm lately,he got disgruntled jimmy for bunch years but his fas and trades have been bad.u get high picks theres no guarantee either,how long have been det wash char atl been bad for.u tank down here that arena will be empty.not sure if u live down here hhf4l but miami doesnt support bad teams.
The secret is to trade good players at the trade deadline (especially those up for extensions). Get all the young players and draft picks you can and let the other teams pay for the extensions.
Right now, Miami has several expiring contracts, one player with an option, and one approaching a huge extension.
Expiring: Rozier, Powell, Fontecchio and Johnson ($67.1M)
Player Option: Wiggins ($30.2M)
Extension Eligible: Herro ($33.0M).
That leaves Bam, Ware, Jaquez, Mitchell, Larsson, Smith, Jakucionis and Jovic. Ware, Jaquez, Larsson and Jakucionis will be on affordable rookie contracts and Smith has a veterans minimum contract. 5 or more are rotation players.
Can you work with that?
why dont they ever give keshod a shot spo scratcher # 1235.i keep track of them
Highly athletic but not highly skilled. Heat should keep him in Sioux Falls then give him an extension like Dru Smith’s. That way they will have more time to develop him.
“Coach Erik Spoelstra oddly limited Kel’el Ware to just nine minutes of playing time as the backup big man. Because of that, there was virtually no real production off the bench outside of rookie Kasparas Jakucionis’ 12 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes. Jakucionis received the most amount of time amongst the rest of the bench players. All three of Dru Smith, Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio provided minimal impacts.”
This team needs an enema. Better to have a fire sale and retool instead of waiting for every crappy team in the East to leave the Heat in the dust.
21-20 halfway point = 42-40 season. Solid play-in team. Time for new management.
jj much better offensively than bam,not sure how jj guards.with his height and body i imagine hes good.bams a very good defender.
Defensive player of the year. Something Bam has never done.
wow wasnt aware of that.so there comparable defensively but jjs far more skilled offensively.bams 2nd half last night was all about i really dont give a crape.
How about Jackson and Ja for Bam and Herro. Throw in Wiggins for Kuminga and Horford and Rozier for DeRozan. Problem is there isn’t enough money to go around next year. Need better balance of young and old. Maybe just let Rozier contract expire and litigate the 2027 draft pick Charlotte stole (with the help of Adam Silver).