The Miami Heat look to salvage the five-game road trip Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
It also marks the end of the extended five-game trip away from home, where the Heat are 1-3. It will also be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after losing Sunday evening in Milwaukee to the Bucks. The Heat blew yet another fourth-quarter lead after entering the period up eight, getting outscored 35-30 — including 15-2 over the first three minutes — in the disappointing loss.
Heat wing Nikola Jovic also suffered a broken hand and could miss at least most of the rest of the season. He scored just seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes and did not play the entire second half.
The Hawks, also playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, have lost three straight to the New York Knicks (overtime), Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons, respectively.
In Sunday’s five-point loss to Detroit, Trae Young exploded for 38 points and 13 assists on 10-of-24 shooting and 6-of-15 from 3-point range. Dyson Daniels posted 24 points and four steals on 10-of-14 shooting while Georges Niang added 27 points with seven triples off the bench.
Monday’s matchup between the two teams will be the first of two consecutive games against each other this week. Atlanta owns the only win of the season, coming on Dec. 28 in Atlanta (120-110).
Do you think the Heat can end this extended road trip on a positive note? Let us know in the comments!
Injury Report (at the time of this publishing):
Miami Heat:
NOT YET SUBMITTED AT TIME OF PUBLISHING
Atlanta Hawks:
NOT YET SUBMITTED AT TIME OF PUBLISHING
Projected Starting 5 (subject to change):
Miami Heat:
- Davion Mitchell, G
- Tyler Herro, G
- Andrew Wiggins, F
- Bam Adebayo, C
- Kel’el Ware, C
Atlanta Hawks:
- Trae Young, G
- Dyson Daniels, G
- Zaccharie Risacher, F
- Mouhamed Gueye, F
- Onyeka Okongwu, C
Broadcast Info:
- Tipoff: 7:30 PM EST
- TV: Fanduel Sports Network Sun (Eric Reid & John Crotty)
- Radio: AM 560 Sports WQAM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson)
- Spanish Radio: WAQI 710 AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda)
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Liking the progress of this preseason games so far. I have a few observations though.
Understandably, JJJ had played out of control recently, keeping him on the bench this long may be detrimental. Better to learn from his mistakes and correct them on the court than from the bench. Spo Please get him back on the court today.
Happy that Ware is getting minutes and the exposure. He has to be taught how to work against being boxed out. Maybe it has to do with his positioning, timing or developing lower body strength. The optics does not look good if smaller players effectively box him out. The coaches have to work him on that.
Wiggins should not soften or play passively, continue to assert yourself offensively when the position presents.
Rozier, still hoping you develop that mid range game. This preseason is the time to do so.
On defense, the Heat players sometimes overcommit, thereby leaving an opposing player or two for that open 3 shot.
Go Heat, Go!
LOL. Preseason, I like that. JJJ, Ware, Jovic, Larsson and the G Leaguers are all works in progress. Rozier will be 31 next month. He is what he is. Wiggins, like Highsmith and Mitchell needs to be much more assertive and confident on the offensive side. I notice that the Heat players work themselves into a frenzy in the fourth quarter, rather than slowing things down and working for good shots or drawing fouls. That’s one thing Butler was very good at. Someone, probably Herro or Wiggins, needs to step up and be that guy. Patient, methodical, the closer.
How mediocre is this year’s team?
I don’t know how anyone else feels, but I sure would like for Miami to get two draft picks this summer, with one or both being lottery picks. I’m sure there is a good two-way PG and a two-way PF/C among this year’s prospects.
Once a tanker, always a tanker.
Look at Philly.
So I m against it.
Philly is run by clowns, you can’t trust the process, but you can trust heat culture.
For all intents and purposes, the team is tanking, whether we admit it or not. It’s not as though we are fully embracing tanking like Philly, Boston, OKC, Houston, Memphis, Cleveland, Washington, Charlotte, etc., have tanked. It’s more of a mini-tank during the play-in round. If we win and get in the playoffs, we lose a lottery pick and get slaughtered in first round. If we lose during the play-in round,, we get our own lottery pick (plus Golden State’s first round pick) and the team’s management, coaches and players have all summer to get their s*** together.
It isn’t tanking if you don’t lose intentionally. If you just lose because you’re not good enough, no shame there.
We are better than those. At least I hope.