(Mandatory credit: Miami Heat/X)
The infamous “turd quarter” struck once again for the Miami Heat on Friday evening. Despite going into halftime with a dominant 21-point lead, Miami saw that early game success evaporate as soon as the third quarter began versus the Boston Celtics.
Miami looked encouragingly refreshed to start the game, spearheaded by the Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo trio offensively. The team was engaged, energized and efficient on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. Same story, different game.
The Celtics stormed back into it with a 36-15 third quarter advantage. All three of Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White got into grooves offensively at the same time. And it was ultimately too much to overcome all at once. Although Miami allowed Boston to make their ferocious comeback, they still kept the ending competitive and fought until the final buzzer. Boston started the game going an abysmal 1 of 17 from 3-point range, but finally got some much needed good looks to fall to climb their way back into it in that second half.
Brown led the way for them with a game-high 29 points. Pritchard and White added 24 and 21 points, respectively. In his Celtics debut, newly acquired big man Nikola Vucevic dropped an 11 points and 12 rebounds double-double in 28 minutes off the bench.
For the Heat, Wiggins was their leading man while showcasing elite 3 & D capabilities— as he has often done throughout this season. Wiggins finished with a team-high 26 points, 6 boards and two steals on an uber efficient 10 of 16 from the field. He also went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Powell, who returned from a three-game absence since being named a first-time All-Star, brought the energy for Miami and totaled 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting.
Adebayo started off hot with 10 first quarter points but would cool off since then. He finished with just 16 points and 7 rebounds on 38%.
Off the bench, the Heat got minimal impact from their four-man unit of Jaime Jaquez Jr, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio and Kel’el Ware. In a very brief six-minute playing time in the third quarter, Nikola Jovic was a negative once again. He went 0 for 5 overall and instantly shot his way out of his opportunity. Boston outscored the Heat by 14 points in Jovic’s minutes.
Clutch plays from Wiggins and Powell in the fourth quarter set Miami up to escape with the upset, but back-to-back bad plays offensively from Davion Mitchell sealed the deal in the final possessions. Mitchell would go on to miss a wide open corner triple to take the lead with just under 10 seconds left in the game. The Heat will now drop to 27-26 overall and fall to the eighth seed in the East, along with going 0-3 against the rival Celtics on the season.
Next up will be a Super Bowl Sunday matchup on the road in Washington.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Check out Hot Hot Hoops on Facebook here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
- Bam Adebayo crushes critics over 83-point game: ‘You can’t be mad at that’
- Heat extend their win streak to a season-high seven straight in 112-105 victory over Bucks
- NBA GAMETHREAD: Milwaukee Bucks (27-37) @ Miami Heat (37-29)
- GAME PREVIEW: Bam Adebayo, Heat seek seventh-straight win against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
- Hanifan: Nobody should care how Bam Adebayo scored 83 points
If its true then Giannis a d*ck for manipulating the people.
Seems like everybody is using Miami to game the system these days. The only ones losing are the Heat and the people betting on them to win.
Agreed using Mia to gain leverage from other teams or their current teams to squeeze more money out of whatever franchise. The grooms left on the alter in runaway bride offseason after offseason
I am displeased by the way J Brown played. He made a decision to take over the game while he was brooding like a madman on the bench. I don’t know if he had taken a stimulant, but when he came back in he decided to be as physical as possible, like a raging bull, swinging his elbows and head and also pushing off with his forearms. We had a guy who was very physical in Jimmy, but he never played like that. And the refs let it go when he may have broken Pelle’s nose and only called a foul on him for the shot to Andrew’s jaw. I believe he hit someone else too. Pelle’s injury changed our rotations and hurt our efforts in a very close game. The Heat should send a film of the game to the league to review. Definitely Brown played dirty, at least in that game.
I haven’t seen this game, but Brown has always been a dirty player. He does things like that.
Who cares honestly we your a star/ss you get away with things, wade did here LeBron did Jimmy did. The complaints against sga foul baiting and getting the calls. Mia just don’t have the star/ss for that if we did we wouldn’t be complaining
Noticed that too, he was throwing himself around into people beyond just trying to draw fouls. Lack of body control like Embiid, which is a conscious choice
Funny, when we were +21 at halftime, I can only think of how will Heat loose his game.
Who to blame?
Nobody.
Heat lost to the better team on the road.
If something,Pelle is a player which really plays basketball with his head.
Nico spectacularly bad again. He must be one of the worst in history in shooting efficiency and being denied getting to the rim lately.
Thats interesting, because you dont see often that from a player, which was more or less average in both categories at younger age.
pelle plays 12 mins 0 pts is a plus 15 lol.jovic 0 pts 6 mins minus 14.niko matters
Jovic strikes again! Agree 100% SunMan. It’s like 5 vs 4 with this marshmallow. This guy is another Heat albatross for the ages. Good luck with his market value …like Morant it’s negative. At this point pony up a draft pick.
There wasn’t a single player who was moved at the deadline that we had the assets to get, who would have the caliber of impact, and the contract to fit, tat you all are moaning about.
Sure it woulda been nice to try to sneak in Jaden Ivey. Or get in on Ayo Dousonmo (sp?).
But AD’s contract is too expensive for his current on court impact. Jaren Jackson Jr is a bit redundant, we didn’t have the picks and his contract is expensive too. James Harden? For Herro? I mean maybe but really?
It sucks, a lot. Riley played a role. Spo plays a role. Bam plays a role. Etc etc. It’s not blameless. But there wasn’t a move to be made that would seriously upgrade the talent AND performance of the squad.
What about moving Rozier? They couldn’t have done that at the very least? lol it’s 4 years of doing nothing not just this year, it’s 4 years of them being mediocre, 4 years of going to the playin again, 4 years of running it back with a few bandaids on the team. 4 years of picking outside the top ten in the draft and getting project raw players Niko, ware, jjj, kas instead of bettering their chances and atleast getting top 10 in good drafts like last year or this year. But tbh if yall are fine with a system that has Ten Commandments as old as the original ones then so am I If the team is fine with mediocrity we should be as well.
4peat playin championship pending
Okay so aside from trying to trade a player the NBA has suspended, which of the players that were traded would have meaningfully improved this team’s chances to win a title?
I’m not defending their so called commandments. I’m asking based on what we actually saw, what was the trade?
Herro for Harden?
It’s alright still in the playin still par for the course. Also spo said he’s happy fans want to see more ware he plays 10 mins tonight so good job spo and remember “we have enough”. 4peat playin championship pending
That’s the spirit
Why not be delusional like everyone else on here
Results of constant deception and gaslighting.
Ra Ra Re, Kick Em in the Knee.
Ra Ra Rass, Kick Em in …the Other Knee.
Here’s another one. Virginians pronounce the city of Norfolk Nor-fuk.
I was in the hospital many years ago for an unknown heart-lung virus. By the third day, I was going stir crazy. A couple of hours before I was discharged, my nurse said I looked a little down in the dumps, so she asked if I would like for her to do a high school cheer for me. Of course, I said yes. She said she went to Norfolk High School in Virginia. She then proceeded to jump around singing her high school’s cheer. It went something like this:
” We don’t smoke, we don’t smoke…Nor-folk…Nor-folk”
” We don’t drink…we don’t drink…Nor-folk…Nor-folk.”
(Repeat)
” We don’t smoke, we don’t smoke…Nor-folk…Nor-folk”
” We don’t drink…we don’t drink…Nor-folk…Nor-folk.”
I feel your pain and frustration.,I appreciate your saying what I would get too worked up to keep saying. What I am saying to myself now is what does it matter anyway. It’s a crazy situation with this team where no one is held accountable. So, thanks.
Don’t bank on it. Charlotte and Chicago are tied for 10th place, only 2.5 games behind the Heat. The way Miami has been playing, anything is possible.
Glad we didn’t trade Wiggins for a 2nd round pick. Yeah, they blew the lead but had the most wide open of shots for the win. Davion has to hit it. Oh wait, no. It’s Niko’s fault. My mistake.
Niko is unplayable. Did you see him skipping out on the floor when Spo put him in like a hyperactive 8 year old. 6 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 0-5 FG and 0-4 3-PT. He’s built like a power forward. I wouldn’t put him back in until he decides to play like one. His Euro-step, point forward, behind the back pass, finesse b.s. has to go. This is the NBA, not the Serbian National 18/under team. I can’t think of a single thing he does consistently well. For that Riley thinks he’s worth 4 years/$62.4M? WTF? If he decides to lowball Jaquez this summer, Jaime just may decide to walk. I’m sure one of the Southwest or Pacific Coast teams with large Mexican-American populations would love to have him/be willing to pay him what he’s worth.
He’s on the team and will continue to get minutes here and there, especially since there will always be injuries. Feel free to adjust to that.
Not my problem. Riley’s problem, let him deal with it.
Have to keep Jaquez
At one point, he was under the basket when the Celtics missed a shot. The Celtic went up for the rebound and instead of raising his arm towards the ball as it came down, Jovic had his arm at a 90 degree angle and didn’t come close to getting the rebound or swatting it away. There was a lot of yelling here in the RC household at that moment. He is playing small and scared. I would be okay with him making mistakes if he was being aggressive.
Exactly. If Jovic had Jaime or Pelle’s aggressiveness, he could be a special player. Ware needs to be more aggressive too. I remember when Heat Culture represented tough/aggressive/physical play. Now, not so much.
I don’t agree with dirty players, but passive ones are almost as irritating. I can see the value in having players like Draymond Green, Dillon Brooks, Isaiah Stewart, Joel Embiid, Marcus Smart and others to set the tone for toughness on a team. That’s what the quitter did when he was here. Riley didn’t bring anyone in to maintain that aggressiveness after he was traded.
Apart from Herro being out, Jovic being so in his head and bad right now is really hurting the offense. He missed all his shots and the first 3 he took looked good/was in rhythm, but then the next shots you could see he was thinking and they didn’t have a chance. He hung his head after one of the last ones he missed. He has to be more decisive and aggressive and play his way out of it. On defense it looked like he was moving his feet well on the perimeter.
He missed switches a couple of times and left his man wide open.
I’m just wondering if there will be a point where the Heat will try to do something to make this a better team. Is there a loss or a point where our record drops to where they will respond in some way? The Wizards are coming in and they are revitalized by their deadline acquisitions (even though Young is still hurt) and they just might give us a tough game. That goes for several other up and coming teams in the East as when a team makes efforts to improve, the whole team perks up.
The converse is also true, that when a team doesn’t make any moves (unless they are one of the best teams and then making no moves sends a positive message), players sometimes get a sense that no one cares and often perform worse after the deadline. Other times they are just happy to not get traded. We will start to see what the current psyche of this team is when they play Washington.
These next 3 before the ASB are definitely big games. Washington, Utah, NOP (who just came from 18 down in the 3Q on the road to beat Minnesota tonight).
After this game Miami is #4 in DRTG, #19 in ORTG, and #13 in Net rating (+1.8), so the offense is definitely the key
Good stats. Utah is one of the few patsies out there and the Pels are another team we should beat, just not as definitely as Utah. But, Washington has been on the upswing and that could be a close game.
Don’t be so quick to write off Utah. They just acquired Jaren Jackson 19.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg from Memphis. They already had a pretty good core with Markkanen 27.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg , Keyonte George 24.2 ppg, 6.6 apg, Walter Kessler 14.4 ppg and 10.8 rpg, Jusuf Nurkic 11.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg, Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier and others.
Too bad this didn’t happen the day before the trade deadline instead of the day after. Maybe Riley would have tried to make this team better
Riley is asleep at the wheel. He’s living off his past glory. He tries to convey the impression that he has big plans in the works. He doesn’t. Riley is stuck in mediocrity and is afraid of taking one step back now in order to take two steps (or more) later. He knows if he tanks and then retires, that is the last thing will fans will remember about him… failure.
Getting their butts kicked by Atlanta on Tuesday didn’t motivate him. Why would this game?
Yes, the Atlanta game was an indicator that we need more. Maybe someone could say that Herro has been out. But, he could very well be out a long time. And, even though he may help, it’s not certain that his presence will be enough.
But, alas the deadline has come and gone. And, I don’t know about you guys, but the buy out opportunities are pretty slim pickings, maybe Boucher, if he’s available.
I’m not expecting miracles. Herro wasn’t able to mesh with the team’s style of play this year when he was available. Who knows what will happen when he returns. Theoretically, the Heat should be getting another 20+ scorer, but we need to wait and see.
They are who we thought they were. The difference between a good player and a great player is consistency. The same thing applies to good teams and great ones. Miami will never be a great team without at least one great clutch (ss) player and better consistency.
How I rank current players:
Powell #2
Adebayo #3
Wiggins #4.
Herro #5
Jaquez #6
Mitchell #7
Larsson #8.
Ware #9 with the potential to be a good #5 down the road, (if Spo’s tough love approach doesn’t ruin him and Riley doesn’t trade him).
From what I can see, the team needs
#1 ss PG
#5 a solid two-way PF/C starter next to Bam
#10 a solid PF/C reserve
Trade material: Herro, Jovic
Expiring Contracts: Rozier, Fontecchio, Wiggins (if he opts out), Powell (if he’s not extended) and Johnson if he’s not extended.
Meanwhile, there’s nothing to get excited about. It is what it is. FYI, this new emotional detachment experiment I’m trying is working out great. I don’t plan to get back on the Heat roller coaster ride again until a few upgrades are made.
Have a great weekend all. May the force be with you.
Thanks SunMan
Unfortunately Herro and Jovic have no trade value now and I’m not sure that will change much at the end of the season
I am doing the emotional detachment thing too. And it helped as I didn’t get upset as we lost. I still care, but in the end it’s only sports. Most of all, I have accepted that there is nothing we can do.
Bingo. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
star wars fan?im on the ride for life bro.aint never getting off thats my team why dont u just pick another team then.sports is cyclical my man dragic is long gone.whats the attachment never lived here.i critiicze the team cause i care about it.but its just friggin sports whether they win or lose aint changing my life one iota.who the f is gonna want shnozzy or herro like rc pointed out.appreciate your great posts and info so stay a heat fan sun otherwise i have to pay the miami herald for trade tidbits ..
I choose what sports/teams to follow based on my personal preferences, not geographical obligations or expectations.
If the Heat was better managed, Herro, Rozier and Jovic would be gone by now. It isn’t and they aren’t. It is what it is.
While many other teams are moving forward, Miami is running in place. The roller coaster ride is feeling more like running in place in a hamster wheel.
If I decide to move on from the Heat, you will be the first to hear about it.
please dont sun your articles are grammy worthy oscar worthy what ever the fn term is for writing youd be receiving honors before ira winderwoman and barry jack ass.your the eric reid or writing lets leave it at that.i thank you so much for all these great posts u come up with i think i speak for everybody here.
Thanks heat. I appreciate your comments. I won’t be leaving any time soon. It’s just frustrating seeing how things are being handled, when I know how much better the team could be doing.
You could see why Powell isn’t a #1, down the stretch last night. He’s still the best we have but quite a few games each season are won or lost by having that one almost unguardable player.
Miam i needs a clutch player. Ironically, DeRozan is one of the best in the league. He has a partially guaranteed contract next year for less than Rozier. Probably could have picked him up for cheap since Sacto is tanking again. Would have been great coming off the bench and in clutch time. Oh well.
going to hibernate for awhile…see you all after the allstars. or in the playoffs. or next season. or when we get giannis in the offseason or when pat and spo steps down whichever comes first
Sleep well. We’ll wake you when we get to the Finals.
bam should have gone for 30 he just doesnt have that dna in him.no way vuc can guard bam
i say if niko gets zero mins we win but this dum ass coach keeps putting him in.gardner who has a more ready nba game no second half mins.smh,norms injury was the biggest diff.pelle got dirty hit by brown 2 times knocked out of game.f u j brown u punk.if this team can stay healthy we would be a good team.we have added two all stars to last years team should be better quit playing shnozzy dumbot im coming for your job son.im gonna bring sun as my gm and rc as my capologist.30 will assist me on players rotations.and manila will be the first official male cheerleader for an nba team.
That is ridiculous. He played 6 minutes out of 24 in the second half.
I see this almost every game. Dude plays 5-8 mins and he gets blamed for the loss. lol
This team never was never going to be a contender this season, barring a 1980 USA hockey miracle.
u dont u believe in miracles mike eurozionne did.
As crazy as it sounds, there is no doubt we would do better. Not sure we could out coach Spo, but in the area of team building we would improve the Heat.
Spo has been slipping this year. Right in the middle of a huge Boston comeback he inserts Jovic? Is that the best he could do? Maybe Riley has instructed him to make do with what he has? Meanwhile, Spo only played Ware 10 minutes and the Heat got outrebounded 50-42. Go figure.
That WAS pretty ridiculous. Should have had Gardner in there. That kid is a spark plug
Yup. He deserves a contract. A lot of potential.