The offense of the Miami Heat has collapsed and is unable to rise. Erik Spoelstra’s club suffered its third straight loss
on Sunday night, this time a 105-87 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center due to a lack of ball control and shooting
ability. With 18 turnovers and a.375 field goal percentage, the Heat kept losing ground to teams in the league when it
came to offensive efficiency.
Not only has the inclusion of forward Nikola Jovic in the starting lineup ceased to provide dividends, but the Heat
have now dropped both of their games following Kyle Lowry’s move to the bench. Even while the Heat had moments
of individual offensive brilliance, including as Jimmy Butler’s ten points in the third quarter, their play was far too
frequently disjointed and they committed three shot-clock infractions in the first three quarters. It scarcely took the
most recent altercation for Spoelstra to see something was amiss.
“We just need to get back on track,” he stated. “In December, we were trending in a better direction. It’s important
that we be intentionally intentional with every possession and every game. When we lose sight of our intentionality
and our strength zonesβwhich, at this stage of the season, we are aware ofβwe falter.
“On that, the competition will have some thoughts. However, we have found that when we wander from there, it
costs us.” The Heat are now 5-7 in their past 12, their first three-game losing run since defeats to the New York
Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks in late November. This week they will face the Boston Celtics and the
Knicks, two tough opponents. The Heat received 22 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists from Bam Adebayo, 15
points from Jimmy Butler, and 12 from Tyler Herro on a night when their offense was restricted. Paolo Banchero
scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Magic. Five Hot Points from the game on Sunday night:
1. Game flow: After trailing 48-46 at halftime, the Magic had led 22-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Orlando then went on a 14-2 run halfway through the third quarter to take a 73-58 lead and end the quarter with an
81-69 advantage. Before Butler returned in the fourth quarter with the Heat down 100-78, the Magic had increased
their lead to 100-78. With 3:35 remaining and the Heat behind 104-81, Spoelstra then started to substitute starters.
2. The Lowry angle: Spoelstra once again assigned Lowry to a reserve position, this time for the second straight game
and only the second time this season. Spoelstra explained the choice in detail before to the game.
“I’m going with this as of right now,” Spoelstra declared. “I think this is an interesting direction, and for the second
half of the season, I’ll do whatever we feel is necessary. We are not in the place we would like to be.That does not
reflect poorly on any one player. Both as a starter and, especially, off the bench last year, Kyle has been excellent.
Therefore, it’s not really about him. This is our attempt to reach a higher plane.” Spoelstra portrayed the choice as
primarily based on chemistry. He asserted, “Combinations do matter.” “Moments have an impact. It does matter to
have lineups that compliment one other well. And I’m continuing working to try and assist the team in solving the
problem.”
And with that, Spoelstra used the same starting lineup from Friday night’s loss to
the Atlanta Hawks at Kaseya Center, which included Butler, Caleb Martin, Nikola
Jovic, Lowry, and Adebayo. 3. Jovic was starting for the tenth time in a row; prior
to mop-up duty, he had only played his initial stints in the first and third periods,
going 0-for-3 with no points in those 11 minutes. 4. Full bag: In spite of the size
difference, Butler accepted the initial assignment on Banchero and then went
outside to play his own style, making two 3-pointers in the first half and one more at the start of the second.
Butler was 3 of 3 on threes at that point, while the Heat as a whole was 6 of 22 from beyond the arc.
5. Pressing through: With 16 points and 10 rebounds at the start of the fourth quarter, Adebayo was on pace to
record a double-double. He now has 12 double-doubles in the last 15 games as a result. However, even with his high
volume of shot attempts, it was insufficient to counteract the Magic’s big men’s contributions.
