The rough stretch continues for the Miami Heat. They had an opportunity to bounce back against the Brooklyn Nets last night. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. The Nets dominated the game from the second quarter to the end. Miami continued to be sloppy and lethargic on both ends of the floor. Brooklyn’s two stars were able to put their imprints on the game without any struggles. The Heat continued to struggle to get anything going on the offensive end. With the loss, Miami falls to 47-28 for the season. Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Brooklyn.
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What Happened to the Offense?
The Heat were down by 21 at the half. You can point fingers at the Heat’s interior defense with Brooklyn dominating the paint. However, it’s the offense that’s been more concerning. The three-point shooting was off, the off-ball movement wasn’t as crisp, and isolations were terrible. This is not what we have been accustomed to seeing from Miami. We saw on one end how Brooklyn’s star players were able to get going without difficulty. The Heat’s stars had a much harder time getting themselves going. They had to work extra hard to just get a bucket. With the playoffs near, Miami needs to find a solution soon.
Oladipo Still Adjusting
Since Victor Oladipo returned, the team has always stressed patience with him. We all knew it was going to take time for him to get adjusted to the team and find his rhythm. Oladipo’s minutes haven’t always been pretty. He hasn’t gelled well with Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler either. On Saturday, the Nets had no trouble going under the screen with both players since they’re struggling with their shots. Teams are going to dare both to shoot the ball. So far, neither player has made them pay for it. Miami needs to find a lineup that fits Oladipo. He finished with nine points in 25 minutes of action.
Dragic Returns
With the Nets playing in Miami, it was a reunion for former Heat point guard Goran Dragic. Throughout his Heat career, Dragic has played a huge role for Miami. He was key in the Heat’s two deep playoff runs in 2016 and 2020. Even though he was traded, there was no love lost. After the first timeout, the Heat gave him a video tribute that was shown throughout the arena.
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No Spoelstra
For the first time this season, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was sidelined for personal reasons. It was announced pregame that one of Spoelstra’s sons was undergoing a medical procedure. Entering Saturday, Spoelstra has only missed two games in his career. Miami is 0-2 without their head coach, who missed both games due to the birth of his sons. Chris Quinn, his top assistant coach, ended up coaching the team on Saturday. We hope everything is fine with Spoelstra and his family.
Next Up: The Sacramento Kings on Monday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm eastern.
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