Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Bam Adebayo buried the Pistons at the horn

Despite a surge from the European Union- Evan Fournier (France) and Simone Fontecchio (Italy)- and the hosts smothering the Heat’s offense late, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson carried the crew to the finish line. Adebayo logged his 34th double-double of the campaign, and Robinson became the fastest player in NBA history to hit 1,000 triples in the regular season as the Heat took out the Pistons, going 2-0 in the weekend miniseries in Detroit.

The Heat was missing Tyler Herro (foot), Kevin Love (heel), Nikola Jović (hamstring) and Jimmy Butler (foot). Ausar Thomspson (illness) and Quentin Grimes (knee) were absent for the Pistons.

Adebayo, Robinson, Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored the Heat’s first 13 points in three-and-a-half opening minutes, but the offense chilled, misfiring on six straight looks from short and long-range against man-to-man coverage. Adebayo’s fake handoff on the right side, resulting in a layup, plus triples from Robinson and Caleb Martin closed the quarter.

On the other side, the hosts missed its initial three looks but kept attacking the Heat’s heart, having five Pistons score in the paint.

Through the first frame, the Heat scored 21 points on nine of 24 attempts. The Pistons had 23, making 40.9% of ventures.

Next, Cade Cunnigham hit a step-back jumper over Rozier on the baseline, spun past Haywood Highsmith in the paint and busted the guests’ 2-3 zone twice by driving into the middle. Four Pistons also connected on a 3-pointer, and Ivey added seven points. This was going on as home defense was getting obliterated.

Robinson cut inside for a finger roll layup, got into the lane against drop coverage, hitting a floater and nailed three triples, totaling 15 points. Rozier dished out four helpings, hit two transition baskets and made a pull-up tray on the left side over Fontecchio. And the rest of the Heat recorded seven of 14 buckets to end the interval, snatching control.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 60-50 and up on the glass by three. The squad provided 32 paint points, eight on the break, nine via second chances, nine after turnovers and 16 from the bench.

Robinson had 21 points on seven of nine attempts, with three rebounds and two assists. Rozier tallied 11 marks with five rebounds and five assists. Adebayo and Martin dispensed eight points apiece.

The Pistons had 20 interior points, seven in the open court, five on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 15 from the reserves.

Ivey was the high Piston with 10 points on four of seven attempts and distributed two assists. Cunningham and Fontecchio each had eight points. And Fournier contributed seven to the scoreboard.

Then the Heat made five straight shots and its lead climbed to 17. Next, the Pistons’ raised its RPMs defensively, forcing four turnovers and causing a drought for Adebayo and Co. in the last five-and-a-half minutes of the third. After the Heat’s baskets to start the frame, it made just two of 13 shots.

On the other side, Jalen Duren rim rolled for two dunks and put back Cunningham’s missed wing triple. Fontecchio curled to the left elbow, canning a jumper above Robinson and Martin, plus dribbled past Highsmith from the top to the cup for a layup. And Stanley Umude swished two right-side 3-pointers.

The fourth quarter began with the Heat ahead 79-76. Adebayo zoomed by James Wiseman on the left side and dunked over him, but he didn’t score again for two-and-a-half minutes as the group misfired six straight times. Subsequently, he tipped in his Martin’s failed corner triple and rim rolled, jamming on Isaiah Stewart.

On the following possessions, Robinson splashed a left-corner three with Fontecchio breathing on him and set up JJJ for an inside cut and score, putting the group up five with three minutes left.

But the Pistons desperately wanted its 13th win and retaliated. Duren caught an inside pass against the zone and was fouled. He made one of two freebies.

After Rozier’s unwise early missed triple with nine seconds on the shot clock, Cunningham hit a step-back top-of-the-key bomb over his counterpart. The Pistons were down a point.

Robinson then made a left-wing triple plus the freebie after Fontecchio entered his landing space. The Heat were back up by five.

A couple of possessions later, JJJ sagged off Stewart in the corner. Adebayo was in the backline ready to offer help on Cunningham, but they got burned by a corner triple. On the succeeding play, the Heat was forced into a 24-second violation, and afterward, Cunningham isolated Martin from the top to the cup for a layup to tie.

The Heat got the ball back, but as Robinson dribbled into the middle, absorbing an extra defender, Fournier picked off his pass, and the Pistons reset with Cunningham up top with only the game clock running. Then, Cunningham half-wittedly, as the game was tied at 101 and there were 10 seconds left, fired an unsuccessful 3-pointer. Rozier picked up the miss, found Adebayo trailing in transition, and the big man iced the game with a top-of-the-key banger at the horn. It was the 12th triple of his career and fourth of the season.

The Heat won 104-101 and ended ahead on the glass by five. The squad had 50 paint points, nine on the break, 13 via second chances, 19 after turnovers and 19 from the bench.

Robinson had 30 points on 10 of 15 shots with four rebounds and five assists. Adebayo logged 20 on his scorecard on 69.2% shooting, plus 17 rebounds, three assists and one steal. Rozier supplied 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds. JJJ had 15 on his ledger with three rebounds, four assists, a block and one steal.

The Pistons finished with 34 paint points, seven in the open court, seven on extra tries, 13 after turnovers and 38 from the reserves.

Evan Fournier scored 18 off the bench on 42.9% shooting and had four rebounds, one dime and three steals. Cunningham produced 17 points, making eight of 19 attempts, with nine assists and four rebounds. And Fontecchio had 13 points and recovered eight boards.

Robinson handled the on-court interview. He said, “I’m very thankful for Bam. I turned the ball over there at the end, which I’ll be kicking myself over, regardless, but for him to come and make that shot, that was huge… Thank goodness for Bam.”

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Was I anticipating [the last shot] being a Bam trail three? No.” He also mentioned that Adebayo has won the last few shooting contests he’s seen in practice among the bigs on the squad.

Adebayo was asked about the game-winner in the locker room. He said, “It was a great moment for us as a team. It’s hard trying to beat a team back-to-back. That’s the prep that we need for the Playoffs.”


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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat start four-game road trip with win in Detroit over the Pistons

The visiting Heat exchanged 10 leads with Simone Fontecchio’s Pistons in the first half, then shut off the hosts in quarters three and four, taking the first game of the weekend miniseries in Detroit.

The Heat were absent Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel). The Pistons were missing Quentin Grimes (knee) and Ausar Thompson (illness).

Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier and Nikola Jović powered up early, making the first five of seven baskets for the guests. After that flurry, the Pistons still couldn’t stop Butler and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from posting up smaller defenders for baskets or Jović, Robinson and Caleb Martin’s drive-bys in the paint.

Defensively, one of the few positives was that its pressure forced five turnovers-three were steals in the passing lane. But the Heat were picked apart by Jaden Ivey’s passing and roasted by Fontecchio. The latter canned a right-wing pick and pop three against no recovery, curled on the right side around Jalen Duren for a layup after the catch and a buried fadeaway over Robinson on the baseline.

Duren followed his lead, picking up four boards, dunking powerfully off a rim roll in the half-court, and slamming another, trailing in transition. Twelve-year veteran Evan Fournier added six points. The rest of the Pistons logged three of 12 shots to start.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat was behind 27-28.

Next, Ivey dished out four more assists. Duren flushed three vicious dunks, two off pick and roll, plus one on the break. Fontecchio, looking like a made man, hit a triple on each wing and flew into the paint, securing an offensive rebound away from Adebayo’s grasp and quickly put it back up. And the other Pistons converted 23% of shots.

On the Heat’s side, Adebayo was possessed. He recovered five boards and registered seven of nine attempts in the frame, totaling 16 points. Two of those seven baskets included a mean putback jam over Duren and a top-of-the-key catch-and-shoot banger.

JJJ was the sole other Heatle to make more than one field goal in the second quarter, but he recorded 29% of ventures. And Robinson swished the only extra 3-pointer in the frame.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 56-54 but behind on the glass by three. The squad had 36 paint points, 13 on the break, 10 via second chances, 20 after turnovers and 11 from the bench. Adebayo punched in 16 points, making 70% of his field goal attempts, with seven boards. Butler and Martin had nine apiece on the scoring ledger. Rozier racked up eight points on a quarter of his tries, plus two rebounds.

The Pistons had 24 interior points, 11 in the open court, five on extra tries, 12 after turnovers and nine from the reserves. Fontecchio noted 16 points on six of 10 shots with four rebounds. Duren had 11 on his scorecard, and 10 rebounds. Ivey had eight points and nine dimes.

Afterward, the Heat held Ivey to zero assists and one of six makes from long and short distance in the third quarter. But Cunningham resumed playmaking duties, setting up two Fontecchio jumpers, and orchestrating layups to Duren and Isaiah Stewart. No Piston tallied more than two field goals, and the hosts shot 40% for the frame.

Adebayo and Co. outearned the Pistons by 10 on the scoreboard, but the burning Heatles were Robinson and Rozier. Robinson spilled three triples on consecutive possessions to give the crew an 18-point lead. Rozier made four freebies and beat Cunningham twice -spinning past him in the lane for a reverse layup and dribbling by him, dropping a left-handed floater. And Adebayo amassed three spare finishes in the square.

The fourth began with the Heat above 84-72. A Martin flurry provided nine points, helping push the lead to 19 over the quarter’s initial six minutes. Backup center Thomas Bryant checked in, adding 11 points on five of eight opportunities. The rest of the Heat made two of 10 tries.

Defensively, the Pistons were held to 45% shooting in the fourth. Cunningham and James Wiseman were the only hosts to record multiple field goals. And Ivey and Marcus Sasser combined to miss four makeable 3-pointers on the wings and corner.

The Heat won 108-95 and ended a four-game losing streak. The group tallied 64 paint points, 18 on the break, 10 on second chances, 33 after turnovers and 31 from the bench.

Adebayo had 22 points on 10 of 14 attempts, with nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Rozier scored 18 points on 33% shooting, plus picked up five rebounds. Martin notched 18 points and eight rebounds. And Butler had 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Pistons had 38 interior points, 11 in the open court, nine on added chances, 12 after turnovers and 21 from the reserves.

Fontecchio supplied 24 points on nine of 16 looks with six rebounds. Duren had 15 points on 77.8% shooting, plus 17 rebounds. And Ivey produced 14 points on three of 14 attempts, with nine assists.

Bryant handled the on-court interview. When asked about the defense creating turnovers, he said, “It was a lot of activity out there. A lot of talk, communication… We just try to be as connected as we can out there with high hands. [It was a] great defensive effort out there.”

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Adebayo’s domination. He said, “He wanted to make sure that he was going to impose his will on this game, and he did it on both ends of the court…That’s what your leaders do. In these tough moments of a season, they step up, and you just follow them.”

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Nuggets sweep the Heat in season series and deliver the reigning East champs its fourth straight loss

The Nuggets came into Kaseya Center and quenched the Heat in the fourth quarter, sweeping the season series with its Finals Rival.

The Heat was missing Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel).

For the hosts, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jović and Bam Adebayo got their eighth start together, the most of any used by the group this year. Early in the frame, the hosts went scoreless for four minutes, missing six straight shots and committing two turnovers.

While the Heat was stuck in the mud, the champs rattled off a 15-0 lashing, kickstarted by Michael Porter Jr.’s transition pull-up triple and Jamal Murray canning one at the top when Rozier doubled Nikola Jokić in the post. Rozier’s layup, attacking Jokić as the low man, plugged the bleeding. He supplied six points, one dime and a rebound in the first quarter.

Yet, Butler was ineffective shooting over Aaron Gordon and missed a makeable jumper with Jokić in drop coverage. Adebayo converted one of four baskets. And Robinson missed all of his 3-point attempts.

Coach Erik Spoelstra even inserted miniature newcomer Patty Mills next to Rozier, who stands at 6-foot-1, at the end of the period, trying to ignite the offense.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat was down 19-26 and shooting 37.5% from the field, including one of six threes made.

In the second quarter, MPJ hit a trifecta on the right wing over Rozier and another in the left corner when Jaime Jaquez Jr. irrationally sagged off to AG’s drive that Adebayo tagged. He also made a layup, and while standing in the corner, he pump-faked Butler, earning a trip to the charity line for two freebies.

Additionally, Murray splashed a left-side step-back three over Butler, canned a fadeaway over Caleb Martin at the nail and swished two free throws. And Peyton Watson scored four points.

On the Heat’s side, Butler tried two shots in over eight minutes, making one. Adebayo connected on his floater and fadeaway over Watson in the lane but missed two free throws. But the bench- Martin, Jaquez and Thomas Bryant- bailed out the starters by drawing contact, attacking the rim and supplying nine of 12 freebies.

At halftime, the Heat was down 44-50. The Heat picked up 26 paint points, two on the break, six via second chances, four after turnovers and 17 from the bench. Rozier produced 10 points on four of eight looks, with two assists and three rebounds. Butler had seven on his scoring ledger on 37.5% shooting. And Adebayo and Martin poured in six apiece.

The Nuggets had 22 interior points, nine in the open court, five on extra tries, 13 after turnovers and six from the reserves. Porter logged 15 points on five of seven ventures, plus four rebounds. Murray had 10 points, making 42.9% of attempts, with a rebound, and a steal. And Joker supplied eight points, seven rebounds, two dimes and a steal.

Jović and Butler delivered the first strikes, with a catch-and-shoot tray for the former and a fadeaway over KCP in the paint for the latter. Then the Heat captured its first lead since early in the first quarter when Rozier picked up Porter’s fumble and raced down the court, gently finger-rolling off the glass, making the score 56-55. Yet, the advantage changed sides five more times before the third interval ended, with the Nuggets holding it last (72-71).

Adebayo snapped out of his funk by hitting a why not top-of-the-key triple when Joker stared him down at the nail. It was his second made three of the season in 15 tries. He also pivoted past Porter for a dunk, glided down the court for a transition layup, buried two free throws and absorbed five rebounds. On top of that, Robinson attached seven more points, and Butler put on four to his scorecard.

Countering, Jokić made a pick-and-pop jumper at the nail with Adebayo covering his face, plus dished out three dimes to Murray, KCP and Porter. AG barreled into the paint, putback his miss over Jović and dropped in a corner triple. The rest of the Nuggets registered six of 17 buckets.

Afterward, the Heat recorded 33.3% of attempts to close the game. The Nuggets’ backline defense disrupted drives to the rim and forced the pass back outside. Yet, with four minutes left, the Heat was down seven points and still had a chance. The visitors denied them- Jokić bothered Adebayo’s midrange jumper; Rozier helped them out, missing a three, facing Joker in drop coverage; And Reggie Jackson cleanly contested Rozier and Robinson’s left-side bombs.

The Nuggets starters caught a break because the reserves- Christian Braun and Jackson- nearly outearned the Heat by themselves, combining to tally 14 points to the Heat’s 17 in the fourth.

The Heat lost its fourth straight outing, 88-100. The crew managed 52 paint points, 11 on the break, 10 via second chances, 10 after turnovers and 28 from the bench. Adebayo finished with 17 points on seven of 15 opportunities, plus 13 rebounds and three assists. Butler scored 15 on 37.5% shooting and added five rebounds. Rozier had 16 points and four assists.

The Nuggets had 42 interior points, nine in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 15 after turnovers and 24 from the reserves. MPJ churned out 25 points on nine of 16 field goals with seven rebounds. AG had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jokić put 12 on his ledger, with 14 rebounds and six assists. And Murray generated 14 points and five assists.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra was complimentary of the Nuggets, saying, “They’re a complex team: you feel like you have a handle on them, and then they just separate.”

Martin was optimistic for the future of the season. He said, “We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve done a lot of winning in this locker room and on this staff. So we follow their lead. And we will figure it out. But we definitely need to figure it out now.”

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Nuggets get serious in second half, taking out the Raptors late

The Champs came out blasting on offense, but we’re giving it up as easily because of inattentive defense and turnovers putting them on their heels. Then they got punked in the second quarter, getting outscored by 15 points. It was as if they were transported back to the Mesozoic era, and they were the prey of unfed velociraptors. They followed up the second half with a comeback from down 22 points behind Joker and Murray’s takeover.

Keep in mind the visitors were missing Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poetl, Gary Trent Jr., Chris Boucher and Scottie Barnes.

Early, the Raptors couldn’t contain Aaron Gordon at close range. And Michael Porter Jr was dropping arrows from deep, middle and short distance.

In the second quarter, the offense fell apart, registering nine of 27 baskets. On the other side, RJ Barrett swished a left-corner triple, seized the baseline for a dunk and drove through the middle for another. Gradey Dick made three jumpers. Jalen McDaniels added six points. And with three minutes to go in the half, the hosts were down 22.

At intermission, the Nuggets were behind on the scoreboard 51-68. They accumulated 28 paint points, eight on the break, four via second chances, nine after turnovers and nine from the bench. MPJ scored 13 points on six of 11 ventures. AG had a dozen on 83.3% shooting. And the Joker had 12 as well, with seven assists, 10 boards and two steals.

The visitors had 28 interior points, 15 in the open court, 11 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 19 from the reserves. Barrett racked up 15 on his scorecard on six of nine attempts. Dick followed with 13 on his ledger. Former Nugget Bruce Brown had nine. And Kelly Olynyk and Jontay Porter- MPJ’s brother- logged eight.

But Nikola Jokić cleaved coverages with his jumper, finished on the break, ran two-man actions with Jamal Murray, and boogied up close for four more baskets. He supplied 19 points in the frame and, contributed four helpings to Murray, Porter and Watson, and picked up four steals.

Murray produced nine points on three of five looks, but while he defended, Kelly Olynyk hunted him in the half court for a bucket from two feet away and drew a foul on him at the left elbow to take a trip to the charity line. Moreover, Olynyk recorded two more freebies and four field goals, totaling 14 points in the frame.

J. Porter dispatched six more points, and the rest of the Raptors made five of 15 baskets in the third quarter.

Following a 42-point outburst in quarter three and conceding 30, the fourth began with the Nuggets down 93-98, and Murray carelessly turning it over in the corner because he couldn’t hold on to the catch with one hand. In spite of that, he led the Nuggets in the last sequence, breaking down his cover from the wing to the paint, ripping apart the Raptors’ pick-and-roll defense, and getting loose twice after receiving Joker’s handoff. He also distributed six assists to Watson, Gordon, Jokić, KCP, Porter and Zeke Nnaji, generating 15 points.

With under seven minutes to go, the Nuggets took their first lead since the latter stage of the first quarter, when Murray dribbled past McDaniels, hitting a floater in the lane. On the Nuggets’ next possession, Jokić tipped in KCP’s missed pull-up, boosting the advantage to three points. The hosts made six of 10 baskets the rest of the way to close.

On the Raptors’ last possession, with 26 seconds left and down six points, Barrett raced down the floor, misfiring a layup, when taking a 3-pointer was the operative move. Had he made it, the visitors would have played for the steal before the foul.

Porter recovered the miss and the Raptors were extinct.

The Nuggets won 125-119. They had 66 paint points, 21 on the break, 11 on second opportunities, 19 after turnovers and 23 from the bench. Jokić’s stat line included 35 points on 14 of 26 attempts, with 17 rebounds, 12 assists, six steals and two blocks. Murray scored 26 on 57.9% shooting, plus 12 dimes, five boards and two rejections. AG and MPJ had 19 apiece.

The Raptors had 66 interior points, 19 in the open court, 20 on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 31 from the reserves. Barrett submitted 26 points on 10 of 20 looks. Olynyk filed 24 to his scorecard and six rebounds. And Dick noted 17 points.

Jokić handled on the on-court interview. He said, “The whole crew fought today, and we showed character that we are not quitters.”

At the postgame presser, coach Michael Malone said, “Do I like the fact that we didn’t play at all in the first half? No. But I’m really proud of the guys having the courage to not let go…we stayed with it. There was never any panic, which is what I loved about it as well.”

 

 

 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo couldn’t save the Heat from dropping a stinker at home against the Wizards

Delon Wright, waived by the guests on Feb.18 and now a Heatle, watched on the bench, likely repulsed, as the hosts couldn’t separate themselves from a G-League team their previous coach quit on for an advisory role. He witnessed his EXs spoil the fourth quarter while coach Erik Spoelstra ignored his number.

(Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel) were absent for the Heat.)

Forget the Heat’s accuracy over the last 10 games (38.9%, sixth in the NBA). The Wizards put a spell on its deep shooting, mostly closing out on time and getting bailed out by six free throw misses.

On the other side, Kyle Kuzma converted a poor nine of 32 looks but baited Nikola Jović into a pump-fake foul and persistently initiated contact on paint drives. Corey Kispert turned into Bradley Beal, popping off for five 3-point bombs when the defense overreacted to dribble penetration, plus gave up the corner and made one over Terry Rozier’s head at the top of the key.

After an efficient but passive first half, Butler was freed for a cut on the right side by Duncan Robinson’s back screen to dunk Adebayo’s lob from the top of the key and successfully rim-rolled going left. In the fourth, he scored in transition and a layup from the left dunker spot. Later, the Wizards keyed in on the often-used and predictable back screen that set him up at the basket after the catch, preventing it from causing more damage. He finished with 23 points on nine of 20 ventures.

Rozier scored 16 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Aside from setting up Robinson’s threes, he was ineffective in the fourth quarter, supplying two points on 25% shooting.

Adebayo amassed 10 points and eight rebounds through quarters one and two. Then, he gobbled eight rebounds and six points, but was scoreless in the last frame with no free throw attempts and one miss late that Martin swooped in to put back, cutting the Heat’s deficit to two points with 31.5 seconds to go.

On the next play, Kuzma picked up Rozier on a forced switch on the right side, but hit him in the face with his offhand when trying to dive by, instantly getting penalized. Twelve seconds left. The possession returned to the Heat, which it gagged with Robinson’s well-guarded left-wing attempt and Butler’s right-side miss.

The Heat were upset 108-110. Scoring 62 paint points, 14 on the break, 13 on extra tries, 12 after turnovers and 27 by the bench couldn’t save the club from the indignity of losing to a group that had a 10-53 record before the match.

The Wizards connected on five tough deep shots and four against loose defense in the second half. Additionally, the visitors logged 40 interior points, 13 in the open court, seven on extra tries, 13 after turnovers and 17 by the reserves.

No, it’s not the twilight zone, but the Heat’s reality is sad- an inconsistent group at the wrong time of year. It shouldn’t have been close late and Spoelstra sold the company line at the postgame presser, saying, “This is what competition is about. Another team will make more plays, as frustrating as that may be… We dropped this one. We’ll have to live with those results, but this is also why we love this profession. We love all context and pressure at this time of year. And we didn’t handle our business in these three games.”

“I know there will be team’s in the East that don’t as well, and we are not leaving it up to them. We are just going to have to focus on ourselves. This is a harrowing ride, and our group has the right intentions. We will just take a day off tomorrow, recalibrate and get ready and prepare at practice on Tuesday for a big game on Wednesday.”

The loss should have been a tune-up win. The progress made in February, going 8-3, is being erased on a current three-game losing streak, which the crew had chances to succeed in each time.

The stat sheet will mislead those who didn’t watch in person or on TV. One of the worst teams in the NBA came into Kaseya Center, giving the Heat the business. Perhaps the result indicates Miami’s team isn’t as strong as last year’s eighth-seeded, Play-In victorious Eastern champs. During a timeout with under four minutes left, no one got the memo: “No threes allowed.” They permitted two more the rest of the way.

On Wednesday, the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, winners of eight of its last 10 and an awful matchup for the Heat, come to town. At this stage, the Heat are the tune-up for them.

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat couldn’t overcome turd quarter vs Thunder in Oklahoma City

Despite controlling the game early on the second night of a road back-to-back, the Heat’s offense fell apart in the third quarter and its embers were extinguished late by Shai Gilgeous Alexander.

Early, Jimmy Butler attacked the basket, scoring the Heat’s first six points. But Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson were cold- the former missed a jumper badly on the baseline and was denied by Luguentz Dort’s help defense, and the latter missed a pair of well-contested triples.

Halfway through the frame, coach Erik Spoelstra subbed out Nikola Jović and put in rookie Jaimie Jaquez Jr.. JJJ saved the Heat from an embarrassing start, creating contact on drives, making four freebies, hooking over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the post, beating everyone on the break and splashing a left-wing triple.

SGA countered for the hosts, registering 10 first-quarter points, primarily striking the lane against man coverage and the zone. Josh Giddey picked up three dimes. And the rest of the group made seven of 17 baskets, as no other Thunder player made more than one field goal.

After 12 minutes, the Heat led 29-27.

Then newcomer Patty Mills- the 15-year veteran who signed with the club on Wednesday- was unleashed. He registered four of five baskets, hitting three triples when the defense overreacted to inside pressure and nailed a midrange floater on the right side after Dort closed out too hard to the wing on the pass.

Butler scored twice in the second frame- a layup, low on the right side in the first minute and another in the last 42 seconds of the half, totaling five points. Additionally, Jaquez was still burning. He spun past Josh Giddey on the baseline for a layup over Chet Holmgren, successfully rolled right after the handoff from Adebayo and scored from the dunker spot when left alone.

Defensively, the Heat slowed down the Thunder and SGA. Help was sent when he beat Terry Rozier to the paint, stopping his layup. Two of his 3-point attempts were triumphantly contested, and Haywood Highsmith forced him into a difficult step-back jumper inside the right wing to end the half. His running mate, Jalen Williams, was the only host to record multiple field goals in the frame, and the Thunder was held to seven of 20 makes.

At halftime, the Heat was up 57-47 and up on the glass by five. The group had 28 paint points, eight on the break, one from an extra try, six after turnovers and 33 from the bench. Jaquez was the high Heatle with 17 points on six of seven attempts. Next were Butler and Mills, each with 11. And Adebayo struggled to score, logging three points, but had four assists and six rebounds.

The Thunder picked up 22 interior points, eight in the open court, 11 via second chances, seven after turnovers and 14 from the reserves. SGA dispensed 14 points on five of 12 attempts. And Williams had eight on 42.9% shooting.

Then, two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, the Heat climbed to a 14-point lead following a Robinson right-wing banger. The unit missed its next six field goals over five minutes as the Thunder neutralized Adebayo’s pick-and-pop jumper in the paint and disrupted three of Rozier’s shots from close, medium and long range.

In that span, as the Heat’s offense was useless, the Thunder rattled off 17 straight points courtesy of SGA getting anything he wanted in the middle, Giddey punishing a double team on SGA from distance, plus Williams piercing the zone and burying a 3-pointer. The Thunder out-produced the Heat by 16 points in the sequence to lead 77-73 to start the fourth.

The guests made six of 14 buckets over eight minutes but were down seven on the scoreboard. Following up with five in a row- Rozier’s transition gash, corner triple and pick and pop shot, a three-footer from Butler and fallaway three from Robinson- still had the club behind by four.

SGA’s impact was as loud as a high-voltage thunderstorm, pulling up on his jump shot going right and left for a dozen more marks. And Aaron Wiggins connected on a second-chance triple, beat Caleb Martin to the cup for a layup and dusted Haywood Highsmith on the baseline, dunking as Rozier got out of the way. The lever that brought down the guillotine was Williams dribbling past JJJ and Adebayo’s help for a left-handed finish.

The Heat lost 100-107. The crew had 48 paint points, eight on the break, five on added attempts, 10 after turnovers and 45 from the bench. Jaquez led the group with 25 points on 10 of 13 looks. Butler’s 20 on 50% shooting followed.

The Thunder collected 46 interior points, 12 in the open court, 23 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 28 from the reserves. SGA had 37 points on 13 of 25 shots. Williams dropped 15. And Giddey tallied 11.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said, “If we could have finished off a couple more possessions, we might’ve had an opportunity to hold them under 100 [points].

In the locker room, Jaquez said, “Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done tonight, but we are going to learn from this and get better.”

The Heat is 9-0 when holding teams under 100 points in 2023-24. The team will not practice on Saturday (3/9).

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Luka Dončić and the Mavericks put the Heat away late in the fourth quarter

The Heat hung around with the Mavericks until it was floored by the knockout blows with two minutes left.

Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel) were absent.  As was Josh Richardson (shoulder), who will miss the rest of the season.

Early, the Heat stunned the Mavericks, converting 13 of its first 15 attempts and 36 points on 71.4% shooting in the frame. Terry Rozier channeled Heat legend Tim Hardaway, setting up Nikola Jović on the go for a layup, lobbing to Bam Adebayo, and finding him ahead of everyone upcourt for buckets plus scored eight points. And Duncan Robinson buried three trays and cut on the right side for a layup assisted by Jović.

Defensively, the visitors permitted the Mavericks 28 on the scoreboard. Luka Dončić scored over Rozier in the post, nailed a pair of triples and pierced the paint for a floater. Kyrie Irving added seven points and two dimes. The rest of the Mavericks made five of nine baskets in the period.

But the Heat went cold in the second interval, making 43% of tries in the lane and failing nearly every attempt from the top of the key, wings and right corner. Adebayo was ineffective, and Butler was passive; together, they supplied seven points on two six shots. Yet, Jaime Jaquez Jr. canned a corner triple and finished a layup on the right side.

The Mavericks attack was just as poor against man-to-man coverage and the zone. Dallas’ Dante Exum and Derrick Jones Jr failed on fast break dunks, the half-court sets were predictable and deep shots were contested cleanly. In the frame, the Mavericks tallied 28 points on seven of 21 shots.

At halftime, the Heat was up 58-54 and ahead on the glass by one. Additionally, it picked up 24 paint points, eight on the break, two on second chances, six after turnovers and 20 from the bench. Robinson was the scoring leader with 14 on five of five ventures. JJJ and Caleb Martin had eight apiece.

The Mavericks had 20 interior points, nine in the open court, six on extra tries, 11 after turnovers and 17 from the reserves. Dončić dropped a dozen points with four dimes and three rebounds. And Irving had 11 on his ledger with two assists.

Then Dončić seized the quarter, recording five assists, spinning past Rozier in the post, breaking into the paint on a pick-and-roll set for a jumper over Adebayo and swishing three 3-pointers. Irving added seven points, and the Mavericks took a 10-point lead late in the third.

For the Heat, Jovič registered seven fruitless minutes, and Butler was invisible for nine. In spite of that, Robinson tacked on five more, and Rozier kept the ember burning. The latter isolated his mismatch, PJ Washington, for a layup on the right side, canned a floater over Dereck Lively II, who is a foot taller (7-foot-1) and made two deep shots.

Butler cracked open the fourth quarter, hitting a left elbow jumper over Washington. He also made another over the same cover on the baseline and drove left past him for a midrange pull-up. His last basket was a fall-away jumper guarded by Exum that gave the Heat a 101-100 lead with four minutes left.

Adebayo, Robinson and Rozier missed five shots the rest of the way. But Rozier made the last two baskets- a left-wing triple facing drop coverage and slashing the lane for dos puntos.

The Mavericks recorded 23 points on eight of 19 looks in the fourth quarter. While the hosts led by two with under three minutes left, Dončić raised for a trifecta up top. He tried another with 93 seconds to go and the Mavs up three, but he missed and it was tapped to Irving on the left corner for three points.

After all that, the Heat had a faint pulse in the last 25 seconds, down three and spare time to go for a chance to tie if it could get one last stop. Except, Martin, without looking, swiped at Exum and was flagged for a reach-in foul. Exum made the two freebies, icing the game.

The Heat lost in Dallas 108-114 and was outrebounded by eight. It also had 40 paint points, 12 on the break, five via second chances, 10 after turnovers and 30 from the bench. Rozier put up 27 points on 10 of 17 attempts, plus 11 dimes and six boards. Robinson scored 19 on 70% shooting. Adebayo and Butler each had 14 points.

The Mavericks had 38 interior points, 19 in the open court, 16 on extra tries, 15 after turnovers and 33 from the reserves. Dončić finished with 35 points, making half of his tries with 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Irving provided 23 to the scoreboard on nine of 19 chances.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “They were pretty committed to getting the ball out of [Jimmy Butler’s] hands and getting him out of his sweet spots… We have to find different ways then to make sure he gets activated and other ways he can get to his strength zones.”

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Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier’s big second half propels Heat to win over Pistons

The Miami Heat withstood the Detroit Pistons – arguably the most pitiful team in the NBA- after seven lead changes and one tie.

Early, Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier were passive, and Bam Adebayo chronically misfired for the Heat. But Duncan Robinson sprayed drop coverage, pierced the zone, burned Ausar Thompson on the baseline with a hesitation dribble plus the layup and made two freebies.

Additionally, understudy Nikola Jović followed Robinson’s lead, setting up two trays and scoring six points. And Caleb Martin canned two baskets in the lane.

On the other side, the Pistons made a meager one of eight 3-pointers in the first quarter against weak protection. Although, Cade Cunningham logged seven points on three of five looks, including a ferocious slam over Jović. Jaden Ivey hit a bucket at the nail, successfully isolated Adebayo from the top to the cup on the left side and dribbled left to the baseline for a jumper over Robinson.

Next, Detroit’s Jalen Duren threw his weight around on offense, registering four shots in the square, none meaner than the lob over Adebayo and dunk after leaving his counterpart stuck in the post. On top of that, forward Simone Fontecchio made two triples, a floater and three free throws.

Yet, Caleb Martin detonated for 11 points, off-setting the win-starved Pistons’s second-quarter production. The only other Heatle in the frame to log multiple field goals was Rozier, swishing two midrange jumpers.

At halftime, the Heat was up 61-60 and behind on the glass by two. It had 24 paint points, eight on the break, seven on second chances, seven after turnovers and 24 from the bench. Martin had 15 points. Robinson had 12 on his scoring ledger.

The Pistons scored 28 interior points, three in the open court, seven on extra tries, five after turnovers and 16 from the reserves. Cunningham supplied a dozen points on four of seven shots. Fontecchio and Ivey each had 11. And Duren had 10 points.

Subsequently, the Heat had a shaky start coming out of intermission. The Pistons converted its first four of six baskets out of the break. But Adebayo triumphantly went at Duren three times, at close and midrange. Rozier splashed a few trays. And the rest of the Heatles made four of 10 shots in the period.

Defensively, the Heat contained visitors to 33.3% shooting in the fourth quarter. Ivey got free on the break for a layup through traffic and scored off a handoff. And Cunningham drove right for a four-foot finish and broke a trap on the left side for an elbow jumper. No other Piston tallied multiple field goals in the quarter as the Heat slowed down dribble penetration and contested outside jumpers on time.

For the Miami team, Butler closed the deal with a rim roll, driving past Evan Fournier and Fontecchio on the left side for a couple of layups, a right-wing pull-up triple and six freebies. The next scoring leader for the club in the fourth was Jaime Jaquez Jr., who put up a second-chance effort and hit a floater over Duren.

The Heat won 118-110 and were tied on the glass at 42. Furthermore, the hosts racked up 48 paint points, 16 on the break, 15 on second chances, 25 after turnovers and 31 from the bench. Butler logged 26 points on seven of 13 attempts, with eight assists and six rebounds. Adebayo and Robinson dropped 18 apiece. And Rozier had 17 points.

The Pistons had 48 interior points, nine on the break, 16 on extra tries, 14 after turnovers and 35 from the bench. Cunningham contributed 23 points on eight of 20 shots with eight dimes and four rebounds. Fontecchio was next on the scorecard with 22 points, making 43.8% of field goals.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I anticipated it would be a physical, competitive game and it was every bit of that.”

In the locker room, Adebayo spoke on Jović’s impact. He said, “He is taking advantage of his opportunities. Obviously, he’s a great, willing passer.” The big man also added that Jović makes the team more dynamic.

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‘We Know What It Takes in the Playoffs’: The Panthers Are Taking the League by Storm as the Postseason Approaches

The Florida Panthers are rolling and the league is taking notice.

 

Last season’s run to the Stanley Cup Final was an unlikely one for the Panthers.

 

They got in as an eighth seed, by one point and had to upset the Presidents’ Trophy winning Bruins in Game 7 of the first-round. Everyone knows that story, yet, the Panthers weren’t really garnering as much national attention ahead of the 2023-24 season as you’d expect for the defending Eastern Conference champions.

 

That’s certainly not the case anymore. 

 

On Monday night, the Panthers won another statement game, defeating the New York Rangers — a cup contender in their own right — 4-2 at Madison Square Garden. 

 

With 20 games left in the regular season, the attention of the league is once again swinging towards Sunrise as the Panthers sit atop the NHL. 

 

It’s quite evident that last year’s playoff run, specifically losing in the finals, has had an effect on the current Panthers team. 

 

“We know what it takes in the playoffs, how hard you need to play. Every shift, every game,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said after Monday night’s win in New York. “That’s what we’re trying to replicate in these games.”

 

They play hard, fast, aggressive, on the edge. Some have called them “villains” — which isn’t a bad thing. Others have called them “dirty”. None of those outside comments have mattered much to the team. The one thing that’s constant for the Panthers has been their style of play — playoff brand hockey.

 

It’s extremely hard to win in the playoffs whilst playing a run and gun game, which was the story of the 2021-22 Presidents’ Trophy Panthers who were swept in round 2 by the Lightning.  

 

When head coach Paul Maurice took over the reins ahead of last season in Sunrise, it took some time before the team could really buy into a defensive first approach to the game. Once they did, Florida began their miracle run to just sneak into the postseason.

 

The present day’s edition of the Florida Panthers has a lot of the cup final team’s style, sprinkled in with the offense from two years ago.

 

Defensive mindset first, the Panthers have been a scary team for opposing offenses to play. 

 

They have allowed two or fewer goals in 16 of their last 17 games — holding a 15-2-0 record across that span.

 

Goaltending has been elite all season. With 2.35 goals allowed per game, Florida is the No. 1 in the league in that category. 

 

The defense has also done a spectacular job at decreasing the workload for Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz, allowing 27.6 shots allowed per game — second fewest in the league. 

 

Two games into their current road trip, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 8-2, defeating the Rangers and Red Wings — both of whom are trending for the postseason.

 

As for offense, they’ve been rolling in that category as well, in large part because of Sam Reinhart’s contributions. 

 

Reinhart has been lighting up the NHL all season, his 44 goals is second most in the league — third most in Panthers history. Reinhart, 28, has five goals in his past three games.

 

“Sam’s been brilliant. He’s a fantastic player for us,” Maurice said. 

 

Like Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe has been pushing the offense as well with 30 goals on the season. Matthew Tkachuk has been phenomenal since the end of December, scoring 46 of his 68 points since Dec. 23 (29 games).

 

Then there’s Barkov. 

 

Florida’s captain has had yet another standout year defensively and should have his name in the Selke conversation once the season is done. The offensive numbers don’t necessarily jump out, but he’s still over a point-per-game with 62 points in 56 appearances. 

 

On Monday night, under the bright lights of MSG, Barkov had the hockey world in awe after pulling off one of the craziest moves leading to a goal you’ll ever see.

 

He juggled the puck in the air, flicked it around Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller, then corralled the puck once more while falling down before laying a perfect pass to Sam Reinhart who buried away the perfect assist. 

 

“[I’m] still shocked. It’s crazy, he doesn’t even understand how sick it was,” Ryan Lomberg said of Barkov’s play. “He’s so nonchalant that to him, it’s just another assist because that’s how he carries himself. Being able to watch that live and seeing the team’s reaction, it was a pretty sweet goal.”

 

As Barkov went viral around the league for that play, the Panthers latest swing — with a 4-0 win on national television over Detroit and 4-2 win over the powerhouse Rangers — the attention is once again swarming towards the guys in South Florida.

 

The goal, as Lomberg said, was “pretty sweet”. The same could be said about the Panthers season. There’s been a lot of trending upwards and team’s have people have taken notice with the playoffs are just a month away.


With the best record in the NHL, a top offense, defense and two goalies who can’t stop winning, Florida is in the driver’s seat and they don’t look like they’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

Christian Wilkins

Tea leaves predicted it: DT Christian Wilkins set to hit FA market

If you have been following the breadcrumbs or reading the tea leaves since the Miami Dolphins season ended in January, you may have gained a sense that the Fins and their star defensive tackle were about to part ways. And it’s no surprise that THAT is exactly what is about to happen come March 13th 2024. 



 

The clues that predicted this are as follows:



 

January 15th — Dolphins end of the season press conference



 

General Manager Chris Grier recalls that he and Christian Wilkins representation attempted to negotiate over last summer, the Dolphins and Wilkins camp admitted that the deal was fair at the time, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement.

 

Grier also used his classic line of “earned the right to be a free agent” which usually means, “this player will be leaving the Miami Dolphins in one way or another”.

 

Grier used this line when talking about the team’s former tight end Mike Gesicki last January of 2023. Gesicki found himself playing for the New England Patriots that season.

Then February and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver came, and Wilkins status with the team was still in the air, despite high praise from Weaver.

 

“I know that he’s positioned himself, obviously, for a huge payday, and as an ex-player, I completely understand the business of the league. I love Christian and would love to have him, but man, we’ll see.”

 

Then late February came, and Grier reiterated just as much as he did the first time – using his favorite phrase again, and telling us that he’d be having talks with Wilkins’ agent.

 

But nothing fruitful ever became of it.

And now Wilkins is on the verge of hitting the free agent market.

What is odd is that the Miami Dolphins did not use a card that was in their hands during this scenario – a card that may have gave the Miami Dolphins something in return if they lost Christian Wilkins to another team during the 2024 free agency period…

The non-exclusive franchise tag.

The Dolphins could have tagged Wilkins which would have given Wilkins and his camp the ability to negotiate with other teams, while the Dolphins had a chance to match any offer.

If the Dolphins refused or could not match, Wilkins would be headed to another NFL team, but the Dolphins would be compensated with two 1st-round picks from that particular club.

 

Sounds great for the Dolphins, doesn’t it?

 

But finding a team to trade two 1st-rounders for a defensive tackle in today’s NFL would be difficult, and this would hurt Wilkins chances of having a team approach him with a deal. The tag would have also increased Wilkins cap number for the 2024 season, and the Dolphins already have a limited amount of cap space for this upcoming year while having to make some expensive decisions on starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as well as others. However, it doesn’t hurt to try fishing and see what you can catch, and the Fins could have rescinded the tag by mid-July or even earlier if no team was biting and they wanted to do right by Wilkins.

 

But the Dolphins decided not to be selfish and not to frustrate Wilkins’ opportunity to land a big payday, which goes to show how much this team has started valuing player-front office relationships since Mike McDaniel entered the building in 2022.

 

So that’s the gist of it.

 

By the way, Grier also used the phrase “right to be a free agent” with starting offensive guard Robert Hunt. So we can probably make an educated guess on where that’s headed.