Jaylen Wright had his best game as a pro, rushing for 107 yards against the Jets.

Pressure Point: Run game, defense keep Dolphins in the running

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Kudos are absolutely in order for the Miami Dolphins.

From dead team walking at 1-6, have played themselves into the playoff hunt, at least mathematically, at 6-7.

With Sunday’s 34-10 whooping of the oh-so-woeful New York Jets, the resurgent Fins have won four in a row and five of their past six.

Notably, they rushed for 239 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Oh, and Tua Tagovailoa can finally say he’s quarterbacked the Dolphins to victory when the temperature is 46 degrees or below on his eighth try — the 41-degree weather at the Jersey Meadowlands was really quite conducive for football, though. But still …

Dolphins avoid bad break on Achane’s injury

The highlight of a dominant win came afterward when coach Mike McDaniel said the rib injury that sidelined star running back in the first half was not a break.

“We got it looked at. He was hurting. He was available to come back in the game in an emergency,” McDaniel said. “I chose not to put him in there.”

Whew! That is a collective sign of relief echoing through Dolphinland.

Let’s face it, however legitimate the hopes of this team to claw its way into the postseason rides with Achane. The newly crowned AFC offensive player of the month for November has fueled the Dolphins’ resurgence.

Achane came into the game with 1,034 yards rushing and was on his way to another dominant performance when he walked off gingerly after a 29-yard run. He left with 92 yards rushing on nine carries, including a touchdown, and a 13-yard reception.

Jaylen Wright has first 100-yard performance

Achane’s absence provided an opportunity for second-year back Jaylen Wright to have his best game as a pro with 107 yards on 24 carries (4.5-yard average) and his first career touchdown. Rookie Ollie Gordon II added a hard-nosed 7-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The three-back attack was reminiscent of the Dolphins’ winning formula from the distant past.

That was noted by one of the men most responsible for that success, Hall of Fame fullback Larry Csonka, who tweeted, “Opening drive today brings back memories — ball control, down the field w/first possession. More of that please.”

More of that sort of production running the ball will be vital over the final four weeks of the season. It has been made possible by significant improvement by the offensive line. That includes much-maligned rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea, who had some key blocks that led to significant gains.

While they can lean on a three-back attack, Achane is the difference maker. He has shown to be a remarkable talent while putting together an All-Pro worthy season.

After scoring touchdowns with Achane on their first three possessions, they didn’t get into the end zone again until they ran it down the Jets’ throat in the fourth quarter —Wright and Gordon accounted for 61 of 69 yards on the drive.

Dolphins’ O-line shows major improvement

“Going into the season, we felt like we have a strength in the offensive line unit. Just to be able to manufacture that type of success on the ground, that’s December football, and that’s how you win,” McDaniel said.

Keep in mind, this December win on the road came against a Jets team that has now been eliminated from the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season. And of Miami’s five recent wins, the only one against a playoff-caliber opponent was the rout at home against the Bills.

The home stretch will be more challenging, and the Dolphins will probably need to win all four to have a chance at a wild card. That begins with a Monday Night date (Dec. 15) at Pittsburgh against the Steelers, who are also in the hunt at 7-6.

Then it’s home against the Bengals, who have Joe Burrow back at quarterback, followed by the 7-6 Buccaneers, and finishing at the AFC East-leading Patriots.

Dolphins’ defense fuels hope for late-season run

The Dolphins too often have gotten to this crossroads, only to lose their way. So I must abstain from labeling them legitimate contenders.

But the factors that could make the outcome different this time is the running attack and Anthony Weaver’s defense, which has become an absolute beast.

Granted, the Jets were forced to use rookie quarterback Brady Cook, who had never appeared in an NFL game, after veteran Tyrod Taylor went out early with a leg injury. They intercepted Cook three times and sacked him six times while holding the Jets to 207 net yards and 1-for-12 in third down conversions. The only New York touchdown came on a punt return.

However it plays out from here, it must be acknowledged the way these Dolphins have pulled together since the dreadful performance in Cleveland that prompted the firing of general manager Chris Grier and left McDaniel’s future dangling.

The players rallied around their coach, and McDaniel has done a better job with the offense since then.

Can they keep it rolling at Pittsburgh in prime time against a Steelers team also desperate to keep their season alive?

It’s a trap door the Dolphins have fallen through countless times, so we’ll see. Still, they have our attention.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

Barely anything went right for the Heat as they got embarrassed by Kings

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Mamma mia; the Kings mowed down the Heat in one of their two worst losses of the season. The latter sullied schemes, went up as much as 28 digits, and former Heatle Precious Achiuwa took revenge for getting booted a second time by the club. 

 

Few things will humble and disturb coach Erik Spoelstra like getting defiled at home by one of the worst teams in the league, who had lost four in a row prior. Or maybe it’s watching Nikola Jović, who was no different than a kid holding a ball for the first time at LA Fitness. He even looked defeated after missing a corner triple early in the fourth quarter. 

 

They were a serious squad not too long ago, and now resemble a small bunch of JAGs who are mentally as strong as Jello. This wasn’t a symptom of missing Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell. It is indicative of a larger problem they must solve: they don’t get up for every game. 

 

A team that plays up or down to the level of completion cannot be trusted. 

 

Consider how the Heat were down two with eight minutes left in the first half, and then went to intermission below 17. The Kings were denying the Heat’s first actions, and Zach LaVine’s artillery strikes and drives to the basket racked up 29 points up to that moment. He finished with 42, including eight made trifectas on 61.5% accuracy. 

 

Bam Adebayo was the furthest thing from a max player. Kel’el Ware lost his starting spot in the second half and got outplayed by the obscure but talented second-round pick, Maxine Raynaud. 

 

Shots were not going down, so they went soft on defense, and the 16-point deficit at the conclusion didn’t properly explain how reprehensibly they played, losing their third straight. The Kings shot 75.9% at the rim, which is 9.2% above the league average.

 

Their next one is Tuesday against the Orlando Magic in the knock out round of Emirates Cup play. Maybe the prospect of earning some extra money will motivate the Heat.

Lionel Messi celebrates Inter Miami's MLS Cup championship with owners David Beckham and Jorge and Jose Mas.

Pressure Point: Messi-led Inter Miami joins S. Florida’s other four pro franchises with championship

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Another euphoric championship celebration is underway in Broward County as Messi and Inter Miami join South Florida’s other four pro teams with a league championship.

South Florida joins New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C. as the only markets with titles in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS.

Inter Miami follows on the heels of the Broward-based Florida Panthers winning back-to-back NHL titles the past two years.

Recall covering David Beckham’s announcement of the franchise in February 2014. There was a lot of curiosity because of Beckham’s involvement, but mixed with considerable skepticism about whether the team would ever make it onto the pitch and where it would even play. There were certainly a lot of obstacles, but Beckham and partners Jorge and Jose Mas managed to get the biggest star in the world in Leo Messi, the MLS championship and will open a new stadium next year in Miami.

But the best part, for me, was seeing them win their first championship at the same location (different stadium) where I watched Rocky Ray Hudson and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers become South Florida’s fun bunch in the late 1970s before ultimately losing their luster. Later, the Fusion, with Hudson as coach, had some tantalizing moments on the same ground before also flaming out.

What a long, strange trip it’s been for soccer here, and Messi, Beckham et al brought a nearly half-century saga full circle and finally sealed the deal in their temporary home where Lockhart Stadium once stood before moving on to Miami.

So hat’s off to them, and there’s little doubt there will be more to come.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat comeback fails in Dallas as the offense goes cold

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The Heat’s comeback effort in Dallas caved in as the Mavericks answered every run, completing the season series 1-1. The latter’s coach, Jason Kidd, said it would be a “man’s game” 20 minutes before tip-off, and he wasn’t wrong: it was a rebounding battle the visitors lost in trenches and they couldn’t buy baskets from deep.

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I felt like it was an opportunity that slipped for us to be able to have that gratification of winning a game where we weren’t making shots.”

 

Norman Powell was out with an ankle injury, so Pelle Larsson started in his place, and that was Spoelstra’s first mistake, using him over Kel’el Ware. They felt the absence of a shot creator while their transition attack had been shut off and didn’t have the extra muscle enough time to blow up Dallas’ actions.

 

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had it rolling in the first half, making jumpers and drive-by layups, but the latter was the only one in double-figure scoring, and most of their teammates had gone as cold. The second quarter meltdown saw them get outscored by 15 as Ryan Nembhard stung them with a few 3-pointers.

 

They went to halftime down 64-54.  Only 21.1% of threes were falling and the bench added next to nothing.

 

The Heatles were subsequently on the back foot most of the third because four Mavericks logged multiple baskets, and Herro’s offense ran out of gas. They then started deploying a full-court press and the 2-3 zone but couldn’t close the gap because they conceded two treys to Russell. 

 

Dallas then got comfortable, and the Heat’s 3-point shooting sliced the deficit to six with under five minutes left. Yet Andrew Wiggins kept brcking everything he threw up and shot the Heat out of it. Cooper Flagg afterward made a turnaround jumper in the lane and scored on a give-and-go set in the last two minutes to put the game out of reach.

 

The Heat lost 118-108. They made five fewer 3-pointers than Dallas and couldn’t stop them from scoring efficiently in the paint non-restricted area.

 

Game Notes:

 

  • Top overall pick Cooper Flagg picked up three fouls and five minutes, but he went on to have a strong game, logging 22 points on 69.2% shooting, with six rebounds and two assists.

 

  • The offense without Powell was missing a dependable scorer off catch-and-go moves. They were also held to 66.7 points per 100 transition plays, good enough for the 3rd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. On top of that, Herro, Wiggins, Adebayo and Larsson combined for 20% of 3-point attempts.

 

  • Ware had a career high in made triples (4), while putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes. Despite his three late turnovers, he was the team’s best player in the fourth quarter and was the primary reason they got within striking distance.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Clippers cutting ties with franchise legend

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It doesn’t matter who is in charge; some organizations will never develop class. Character is also measured when times are toughest: the Los Angeles Clippers are failing both tests. 

 

They cut bait with their best player in franchise history, Chris Paul, 21 games into the season of his retirement tour. They are even alleged to have notified him late at night, according to his Instagram story. 

 

It’s not much of a surprise, considering how they did another franchise icon, Blake Griffin, dirty eight years ago by trading him after he re-upped with them, thinking they were committed. Don’t expect any public answers on the real reason why Paul was let go, as the team has a 5-16 record.

 

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and the higher-ups must have zero pulse on the fan base because his retirement tour is about the only thing many of them were looking forward to as the season appears lost at the start of December. Maybe they wouldn’t be SOL had they realized Norman Powell is the goods, and it’s dumb to trade him for a scrap heap just because you don’t want to pay him. Now he’s thriving with the Miami Heat on a career season, while they stay attached to a sinking ship led by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ty Lue. 

 

The team said, “We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team. We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”

 

Their city rival Lakers didn’t shame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he was an old set of wheels. Nor did they when the late Kobe Bryant was no longer himself after tearing his Achilles tendon. Sure they won 10 rings combined for the Lakers, but the Clippers were in their shadow for a long time and their history is nowhere near as glittering. 

 

Keep in mind that before they traded for Paul in 2011-12, the Clippers had only four playoff trips between 1978 and 2011, breaking out of the first round once, as California residents. Their roots are traced back to the Buffalo Braves, but the furthest they went was three straight second rounds. Yet they went six consecutive times with him, never getting out of round two. 

 

Fortunately for the Clippers, NBA contracts for big-time players are jackpots, they still play for LA and have a shiny new home, the Intuit Dome. Time will soften the public’s memory, and perhaps some future star will think, “Hey, not me.” Maybe he’s right, playing well and long enough not allowing them to make such a move, but why should the Clippers get so lucky if this is how they treat their best? 

 

Imagine if the Heat underhandedly embarrassed  Dwayne Wade in his last season (2018-19), saying, “Old sport, you’re taking up a seat on the bench, while we aren’t going anywhere.” It would have hurt their credibility as a first-class organization and turned off lots of devoted fans.

 

The memories Paul left behind in Clipper land, including the layup that sunk the defending champion Spurs in 2015 Game 7, round one, were not enough to spare him dishonor. Hopefully, someone gets to ask the top brass on record whether they would have done this if Paul delivered them a championship.

 

 



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat tie franchise best in 3-point makes at home, overwhelming Clippers

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The Heat shamed the Clippers, tying a franchise record in made 3-pointers (24) and setting a new season high in blocked shots (10). It was their fifth time scoring at least 140 points this season, yet they got sloppy at the end because of poor attention to detail and thinking the Clippers gave up. 

 

Miami started extra alert, coming off Saturday’s three-point loss at home. Coach Erik Spoelstra said that some of the motivation was that “really good teams don’t lose two in a row at home.”

 

Bam Adebayo broke the ice with a dominant first few minutes, nailing jumpers, attacking the basket, and swiping Ivica Zubac’s shot from behind. Then Andrew Wiggins went on the next flurry, making three baskets and blocking a shot in the corner. Four other Heatles made 3-pointers, bringing the output to seven out of nine for the quarter, and eight of them got on the scoreboard.

 

Their 14-point lead was short-lived because Kawhi Leonard rampaged through the lane, and the Clippers momentarily snatched the lead. Yet the Heat’s scorching 3-point shooting continued as they set a new season high for a half (14), and their lead was quickly raised to 26.

 

On top of that, Norman Powell is clearly not over the Clippers wasting his time with “blown smoke” over the summer before trading him, reflected by his 30 digits on 66.7% accuracy in the Heat’s second game against them this year. It was a slow start for him, but he eventually mowed down schemes, and he made three straight shots in the last few minutes of the first half, too.

 

They went to halftime ahead by 20, and their longest unanswered streak was 20 points, bringing their block total to nine as well. Four Heatles had multiple treys apiece, and Powell plus Davion Mitchell made the most (3).

 

They kept beating a dead horse, adding seven more trifectas, taking a 32-point lead going into the fourth. Clippers coach Ty Lue even briefly benched his starters two minutes into the third as it became clear his crew needed external motivation. 

 

The ball movement subsequently slowed down, and coach Erik Spoelstra re-inserted four starters five minutes into the fourth as they were up 25. Leonard erupted again, logging 19 points in the period on jumpers and drives, further shrinking the lead to 12. But Powell, Wiggins, Mitchell, and Herro combining for six shots in the lane in crunch time was enough to hold off LAC’s comeback. Spoelstra then gave rookie Kasparas Jakučionis his first NBA action in the last 53.7 seconds.

 

The Heat won 140-123. Eight players combined for their 24 3-pointers.

 

Adebayo kept it cool in his on-court interview on the abundance of 3-pointers, saying, “We work on that every practice…”

 

Games Notes:

 

  • Five Heatles logged double-figure scoring, between 16 and 30 points, and the half-court offense logged 120 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 96th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. Additionally, most of Miami’s attempts came in the paint non-restricted area and above the break. They shot 12.2% above the league average at the former spot and 21.7% higher than the average at the latter.

 

  • Pelle Larsson injured his ankle in the first half and didn’t play the rest of the game. Spoelstra offered nothing but crumbs, saying the diagnosis from him and the trainers is that “he would be alright.”

 

  • Aside from 16 points, Mitchell recorded 12 assists against two turnovers. Spoelstra said, “It’s the pace. Every time there was an opportunity for us to extend the lead in the open court, he was just making all the right reads…”

 

  • Adebayo was involved with a good chunk of the long-range action, setting a career high (5) in makes. Additionally, the Heat made 30% of their 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. 

 

  • James Harden played two minutes in the second half, and he was not injured.

 

  • The Heat were in cruise control to start fourth, and a Nikola Jović sighting never came.



Tua Tagovailia's poor play is holding the Dolphins back.

Pressure Point: Dolphins keep hopes alive despite Tagovailoa’s baffling decline

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The Miami Dolphins may wear aqua-and-orange, but they are fool’s gold to their fans.

Here they go again making a show of late-season contention. They’ve won three in a row and four of their past five to reach the fringe of the wild-card race.

The network keeps showing them in the graphic of playoff hopefuls, and I can’t help but laugh.

Did that look like a playoff team that had everyone biting fingernails to the quick in fending off (barely) a young, rebuilding 2-9 Saints team 21-17 Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium?
Not when the quarterback is your biggest liability.

The regression of Tua Tagovailoa has been nothing short of baffling, and he’s gotten worse as the season has progressed. This latest head-scratching performance was up there among his most inept.

Tagovailoa outplayed by Saints rookie

That was underscored late in the fourth quarter when Fox color analyst Mark Schlereth suggested the Dolphins completely remove all passing plays from the offense and just hand the ball to De’Von Achane for the remainder of the game.

He wasn’t being facetious. His point was well founded.

Tagovailoa not only threw his league-leading 14th interception of the season, he was off target nearly all day.

There was a crisp throw to Jaylen Waddle on a crossing pattern for a 22-yard gain and a strike down the middle to tight end Greg Dulcich for 21 yards. That was about it for well-thrown balls.

The key to success for the Dolphins this season was supposed to be Tagovailoa staying healthy. He’s done that, making every start, and it’s been to their detriment.

Sunday he was outplayed by Saints rookie Tyler Shough, and it wasn’t particularly close. Shough, making his fourth career start, is a work in progress, but he showed athleticism that Tagovailoa doesn’t possess and threw two second-half touchdown passes in rallying the Saints from a 19-0 deficit to within a two-point conversion in the final minutes.

Tagovailoa loses his accurate touch

In years past, Tua’s ability to throw accurately helped offset his shortcomings of middling arm strength and mediocre mobility.

This season, he’s lost his touch, and that was evident throughout Sunday’s game. He started by overthrowing Cedrick Wilson Jr., who had a step advantage on a deep route. Then he botched a short toss on an inside screen near the Saints’ goal to Achane, who could have waltzed into the endzone. Instead the Dolphins had to settle for one of four Riley Patterson field goals.

In the second half Tua threw behind Julian Hill on a third-down play when the Dolphins were trying to answer the first Saints touchdown. Later, he floated a pass in the endzone to Darren Waller, who ran out of room.

It wasn’t merely that his passes were off the mark, so was his judgment. Most glaring was the long pass into double coverage for Waddle that was intercepted. He overlooked Achane who was open.

Tagovailoa finished the day 12 of 23 for 157 yards, with a paltry passer rating of 55.9.

Tua’s subpar stats don’t lie

He was sacked four times, which often happens when his first read is covered and protection breaks down. Shough, like almost every quarterback the Dolphins face, has the ability to scramble out of trouble and make a play. Tagovailoa, lacking elusiveness, tends to panic and take drive-killing sacks.

Schlereth wasn’t the only viewer preferring to see the ball in the hands of Achane, who rushed for 134 yards against the Saints to become the 11th Dolphins back to surpass 1,000 yards in a season, the first since Jay Ajayi in 2016.

Achane scooted 29 yards around the right side to cap an impressive opening touchdown drive. Tagovailoa’s subpar play, particularly in the red zone, had a lot to do with the Dolphins settling for field goals the rest of the day.

“Definitely starts with me, with my performance, with how I distribute the ball,” Tagovailoa said in his postgame interview.

Tagovailoa is currently 23rd in the NFL in passer rating, but first in interceptions. The Dolphins needed a lot more from their $53.1 million (per year) quarterback in a make-or-break season for the Mike McDaniel regime.

McDaniel didn’t exactly bestow a vote of confidence on Tua when he had him let the clock run down to end the first half with a field goal rather than take a shot at the end zone.

Are Dolphins setting up another late-season flop?

Nonetheless, this midseason surge following a dreadful opening month has lifted the 5-7 Dolphins to the edge of hope.

It’s a familiar Build Me Up Buttercup scenario that has led to too many final month letdowns by this franchise.

Are you going to fall for the fool’s gold again, Dolfans?

The Dolphins travel next Sunday to face the 3-9 Jets, fresh off a walk-off field goal win over the Falcons. Then they’re on the road again at the Steelers, home against the Bengals and Buccaneers, and finish at the Patriots.

It’s not totally implausible, when you have one of the league’s premier offensive performers in Achane. Blocking up front has improved, right tackle Austin Jackson added to that in his first game off injured reserve. Waller’s return adds another weapon with game-changing ability.

Meanwhile, Anthony Weaver’ defense, led by Jordyn Brooks playing at an All-Pro level, has elevated its play. Against the Saints, the defense had four sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception by Rasul Douglas, plus Minkah Fitzpatrick’s pick and 98-yard return for two points on the Saints’ last conversion attempt.

The main stumbling block is at quarterback. Unless Tagovailoa dramatically reverses course and elevates his play over the remaining five games, this team isn’t going anywhere.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.

What’s next for Devin Haney?

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Devin Haney’s new status as the WBO welterweight champ following his surgical takedown of Brian Norman Jr. has set up big plans for 2026. His career was on the line as allegations of being a “shot fighter” surrounded him like flies around a carcass, but he took on the hardest bout available and is on his way back to the top. 

 

Despite Conor Benn’s insolence ringside and former partner Eddie Hearn, also the chairman of Matchroom Sport, trying to steal headlines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, belittling his work post-fight, it was Haney’s first real step in getting respect back from peers and the public. His reputed “pillow fists” were as fast as ever and had enough pop to drop Norman, leaving him with a confused and embarrassed expression for failing to deliver on his promise to wound Haney. 

 

The champ is ready to take on anyone, yet a rematch with Ryan Garcia is irresistible. They have unfinished business in the wake of the tainted first match, in which Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, a banned substance that stimulates muscle growth. He was also overweight, which cost him the chance to earn the WBC super lightweight title, regardless of whether he won, before anyone knew he had a separate advantage, but Haney accepted payment for that missed prerequisite.

 

The once-suspended pugilist also has questions about how good he is, and says he’s going to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios first. Claiming that belt would add extra credibility to a rematch by making it a unification, but it’s no guarantee for either man. Don’t forget that Garcia was ordinary on weight without PEDs, and Barrios didn’t have enough horsepower to beat 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao, as they went to a draw in July. Barrios is  decent but not the fighter he once was and hasn’t been since a brutal fade with Gervonta “Tank” Davis in 2021, in which he was stopped in round 11.

 

Assuming Garcia gets by Barrios and doesn’t blow the loot again by getting upset, like he was against Rolando  “Rolly” Romero in May, it will be his opportunity to rebuild his reputation from being a dirty fighter, too. Even with the facts against him, that reality still bothers Garcia, as evidenced by his taking personal shots at respected boxing journalist Dan Rafael for posting about his misdeeds.  

 

He’s lucky he didn’t have to earn the fight, and that Haney wants to punish him badly enough. One thing’s for sure: if Garcia gives us sloppy seconds from his fight with Romero, there’s no telling how his career will resuscitate. Still, as much as he probably has the underhand, Haney still has to prove he can take a hurtful shot to the mouth because Norman didn’t make it clear. Perhaps Romero can risk his WBA belt and oblige, keeping both of them busy, because Haney’s father Bill, mentioned him as a desired next opponent and that confrontation is no easy work. 

 

Additionally, a clash with Romero would give Haney some more rounds to get back to form. He could use them, as there were moments he took his foot off the gas against Norman.  

 

Haney and Garcia split six amateur fights and the former became a champion in a third division as a pro on Nov. 22 (lightweight, super lightweight and welterweight), while the latter has never been at the top. Their names will be tied together forever, so hopefully Part Two gets made, and it’s worth remembering. 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat’s fourth-quarter comeback fails at home against the Pistons

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The Heat couldn’t punch the gas until it was too late and got put down by the first-seeded Pistons, who were on the second night of a back-to-back. They got to their hotel at 4 AM Saturday and still unloaded the most digits (76) in the lane that Miami had surrendered all season, and it was Duncan Robinson’s first visit back to Kaseya Center. He showcased how valuable he is without the 3-pointers. 

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Defensively, for us, it just felt like we were on our heels and passive for the majority of the night. There was a segment with our second unit where it really kind of changed the feeling of the game for five minutes, six minutes… but defensively, it took us a long time to be aggressive.” 

 

Their defense was unfastened by repeated drive-bys, conceding 22 of Detroit’s 36 first-quarter points in the lane. It was the equivalent of watching someone in the ring get tagged by endless lead rights to the dome. The Pistons even went on a 13-0 run while Cade Cunningham was getting his rest, taking a 36-23 lead into the second frame. The Heat were lucky not to be down further, as a good slice of their points came at the line and their visitors soiled seven possessions with turnovers. 

 

The Pistons were still sloppy, taking care of the ball in the second quarter, but it made no difference because the Heat were afflicted by another monsoon of paint strikes. Cade Cunningham was undaunted by any scheme, piercing the lane for half (5) of those shots at close range.

 

Herro got denied violently by Isaiah Stewart at close range and was docile until the fourth quarter.

 

The Heat went to halftime down 71-59. They were outscored in the paint by 20 (42), but had another stimulus at the charity line that prevented the game from slipping into dangerous territory. The deficit subsequently swelled before Norman Powell’s marksmanship helped cut it to 10. But the Pistons kept bodying them like a tall middleweight in a fade with a short, natural welterweight, and raised the gap back to 17 going into the fourth.

 

Andrew Wiggins’ rim pressure and shot off a pick-6 was keeping Miami’s heart pumping on offense. Then Davion Mitchell stepped up, picking up three steals, Adebayo made two shots in the lane, Herro swished three treys and Powell poured in a layup and three huge freebies with under two minutes left. Yet their 44-point late burst was diluted as Cunningham breached the lane for a short jumper with 20 seconds left, putting the Pistons ahead by four. He even swiped the ball, and it bounced out of bounds off Powell’s leg, on the following possession.

 

The Heat lost 138-135. Spoelstra said, Detroit showed us, you know, why they’ve been number one in the East so far. We’ve been an up-and-coming team, but that was a different level for big parts of the game.”  

 

Game Notes:

  • The Pistons were minus Jalen Duren and Caris LeVert, and their lowest-scoring quarter was the fourth, with 30 points. Tobias Harris channeled vintage Carmelo Anthony, roasting smaller players; Cunningham logged 25 points on 56% shooting on attempts from short, middle and long range; and three Pistons had between eight and 10 rebounds.

 

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s absence opened the door for Nikola Jović to get extra time off the bench, but he was invisible, except when getting dusted or turning it over, which included a worthless pass into Ron Holland III’s hands, creating a pick-6. Instead, they got premium production from Ware off the bench.

 

  • Their 33 free throws were the third-most they’ve made this season. Wiggins was perfect on nine attempts, and three other Heatles made between four and seven.

 

  • Herro and Mitchell combined for zero baskets in their first 10 attempts. Herro’s starting lineup integration resulted in the third-straight night the offense looked washed, as they had one of their lowest-scoring first halves. This time it was courtesy of Detroit’s speed and size making it nasty, but that changed in the fourth. 

 

  • Robinson nailed three 3-pointers, including one in the corner in Herro’s eye, but most of his shots were recorded at the rim. He notably had five assists against one turnover. 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat show off new starting lineup and hold off the Bucks in Emirates Cup play

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Plans for Tyler Herro and Norman Powell starting together were conceived ages ago, and it finally got its first real test run in Emirates Cup play as the Heat squeaked by the Bucks for their sixth straight win. The visitors sans Giannis Antetokounmpo torched the small-ball lineup, but were contained to 37.9% shooting late.

 

“We played some bad basketball today,” Bam Adebayo said in his on-court interview. “We need to fix that before it gets too late, but for the most part, it came down to stops, and we did that.”

 

It’s no surprise Milwaukee was able to hang because someone usually steps up in these situations, and it was Myles Turner for them. He turned into vintage Kareem Abdul-Jabbar until the fourth quarter, tallying 24 digits on 60% accuracy. 

 

Norman Powell never got going, and neither did the transition offense as the crew even had its second-straight low-scoring first half despite six Heatles tallying multiple baskets (53-47). Adebayo and Kel’el Ware led them with four field goals apiece, but one of the crew’s biggest problems was making only 21% of their 3-point attempts.

 

Their three trifectas, inside pressure leading to four baskets at close range and getting to the line for eight attempts, making seven, prevented the Heat from letting control slip away in the third quarter.

 

Herro subsequently surged in the fourth quarter, scoring in transition, ripping a triple behind Ware’s down screen and slashing the half-court lane for two floaters. Then Adebayo made a jumper at the nail and a floater in the lane, giving them a five-point lead with under a minute left. They offset Ryan Rollins and Bobby Portis’ six paint baskets in the period.

 

The Heat (13-6) won 106-103, and it was the first time they’ve had a full roster healthy this season. Additionally it was their sixth game decided by five points or fewer. Their record in those games is 5-1.

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra now has 800 regular-season wins as the man in charge. He said, “It’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving. I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years.”

 

He also said he’s looking forward to the team practicing on Friday to “fine-tune some things.”

 

Game Notes

 

  • The Heat’s starters were ahead 22-20 at the first substitution. They showed why they could be dangerous as a small unit, but size killed them. Spoelstra was not pleased with the Heat’s multiple efforts against post-ups. “I think we could have made those a lot more difficult.”

 

  • Six Heatles logged between four and nine baskets yet the offense wasn’t flowing like it was pre-Herro’s return. He’s a major addition to something that was working, so getting everyone in sync will take some time. Aside, in spite of their transition frequency (20.2%) being in the 85th percentile, they only scored 115.8 points per play, good enough for the 39th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.

 

  • This was the 11th time the Heat (32) have had at least 30 assists (10-1). Most of the playmaking came from Davion Mitchell, who recorded nine assists against three turnovers, and Herro, who had seven assists and two giveaways. 

 

 

  • They used all 10 players in the first quarter. Nikola Jović never got any minutes, and Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s were cut to 17 despite a decent night. Keshad Johnson was shelved, too, since Andrew Wiggins returned from his hip flexor injury.

 

 

  • Ware wasn’t looked to for points in the second half, but he still hit the boards (4) and came away with a steal and block.