Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat’s second-half drought leads to defeat in Boston

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat were desperate to atone for their humiliating performance on Tuesday when the 2006 championship team was honored in Miami, and they would have done well if they could have stopped the count early. The Celtics debuted former Heat nemesis Nikola Vučević, and overwhelmed them at close range. 

 

It was Boston’s sixth win since Jan. 26, holding opponents to 100 points or less. Yet the Heat ran up a 22-point first-half lead on a stream of 3-pointers and fastbreak strikes while the Celtics went through an offensive famine. Andrew Wiggins, in particular, had his jumper connect five times across the wings. 

 

They even threw out a full-court press and denied them success in transition. Yet, naturally, their prosperous run expired at halftime, coming into the third quarter inept on offense and missing 14 shots. 

 

It took the Celtics until the end of the frame to tie, courtesy of Jaylen Brown, Vučević and Payton Pritchard seizing the moment with nine combined baskets, five coming in the lane.  On the other side, Norman Powell jammed his finger trying to pass out of the lane early in the third, and returned for all of the fourth quarter. The snowball effect started in the meantime when Boston made consecutive triples midway through third, forcing a Heat timeout.

 

They failed to stop the bleeding, and Spoelstra even futilely deployed the offensively challenged Nikola Jović, and he missed all five second-half attempts. The fourth quarter subsequently turned into the Pritchard and Derrick White show as they both combined for 19 points on short and long-range baskets.

 

The Heat lost 98-96, and it was the fifth time they’ve been held below 100 points this year. They are winless on those nights. 

 

Spoelstra said, “As painful as this is, it’s going to drive us. And I feel we’re going to get there.”

 

Takeaways:

  • The Heat held Boston to a season low in scoring in the first quarter (15), and these are the types of games that highlight how they don’t have enough, and proceeding with the build is a misguided effort. As well as they played early, it was one of the rare nights the Celtics weren’t prepared this year from tip-off. Nonetheless, the Heat are heading towards their fourth Play-In Tournament appearance in a row unless they have a legendary turnaround. Count on the rapture coming first after many of the players know they were bait for a trade that didn’t happen for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

 

  • It’s clear that Bam Adebayo is wasting his time with this team as they are three games out of the sixth seed, which would bypass the Play-In, but now the Charlotte Hornets are on their tail. The Hornets are the hottest team in the league after a superb January, and have piled up eight straight wins as their high-end talent is blossoming. They haven’t done that since 2000.

 

  • Recently named first-time All-Star Norman Powell was a marksman, burying buckets on and off the dribble from short and long range. He is averaging 23 points this season, which is the 14th highest in team history. 

 

  • Derrick White earned his first career flagrant foul on a reckless closeout on Powell’s 3-point attempt. 



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat embarrassed themselves on the 2006 title’s celebration night

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat got demolished against the Hawks on the night they honored their 2006 championship. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal sat courtside for the embarrassment, yet the only bright spot was the halftime presentation, sitting the former teammates in a circle at midcourt in custom team jackets.

 

They started their skeleton crew lineup and found themselves in a 10-point hole despite Pelle Larsson going to the body and Davion Mitchell racking up four dimes because of weak corner coverage and an inability to hit shots, at one point missing nine in a row.

 

It subsequently got worse, as the Hawks’ bench outworked Miami’s. They also sliced to the lane with little resistance and erupted from deep with seven extra treys, and the Heat went into intermission down 17.

 

The halftime show, which was slightly longer than normal, affected the Hawks on defense, even with five minutes to warm up. The Heat cut the deficit to single digits, but their progress was short-lived due to CJ McCollum taking over the period, nailing shots on and off the dribble from short, mid and long range.

 

Then they got smacked around so hard in the fourth quarter that fans started leaving with seven minutes to go.

 

The Heat lost 127-115. Additionally, they only shot 25% from deep, and allowed 18 points off turnovers.

 

It’s just frustrating because we can still win with 115 [points]…We got to lock in and do the little things, but also, that 3-point line is a big factor in the game,” Bam Adebayo said.

 

Takeaways:

  •  In part because of the absences to Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins, the team was flat in the first half and let the misses affect them on defense. They only allowed six baskets from the corners, but passes into the area still left them scrambling. Coach Erik Spoelstra said postgame that at their best, they are capable of playing good help defense, but it’s a mentality they must improve.

 

  •  Jalen Johnson was the top player, and the Hawks got hot with too many easy shots, and they eventually started hitting contested ones. McCollum and Luke Kennard combined for 10 of Atlanta’s 21 3-pointers. On top of that, their bench was superior, outscoring Miami’s by 23 points. In the locker room, Larsson said the defense was lacking because of breakdowns that created open threes.

 

  • The Heat tied their fourth-worst night of the year, guarding the lane, allowing 66 points. They barely used a zone because of Atlanta’s sharp ball movement.

 

  • Kel’el Ware got beat from inside and out, and was yanked quickly in the second quarter. He also struggled in his nine second-half minutes as well.

 

  • The Heat only led for fewer than four minutes after tip-off. Notably, Dwyane said pre-game in his presser about the 2006 season that the Heat’s record is not good enough.

 

  • Adebayo shot poorly (25%) while seeing mostly single coverage. He missed everything outside of the lane, and he is not a good enough shooter to be trying to fool opponents with a pump fake. He would have more success if he just shot without hesitation.

 

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat disembowel the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat got payback in style against the Chicago Bulls and completed the miniseries at home. It was also the ninth game they’ve played in 13 nights, which included the makeup game from Jan. 8 because of the on-court condensation issue in Chicago.

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “It was a long week…Guys didn’t make an excuse for it and played with great energy, played the right way and it was great to see. We know what we need to work on.” 

 

They broke Chicago’s offense in the first quarter and went into the second ahead by 21 thanks to one of Pelle Larsson’s best offensive spurts of his career, discharging 3-pointers and finishing three shots in the restricted area. Then Bam Adebayo took over the next frame, attacking at short, middle and long range. The small ball Chicago ran was no match for him.

 

The Bulls were desperate to make a dent in the lead, and they kept launching bricks, finishing the first half making 9.5% of shots from 3-point range. The Heat had 32 paint points aside from a 22-point lead at intermission and subsequently wasted them in the third quarter, making the final 12 minutes a formality. The score was so out of hand that Vlad Goldin, one of the team’s two-way contract players who had only logged 54 seconds of action this season on Dec. 19, got seven minutes. 

 

The Heat won 134-91 and had seven double-digit scorers. Seventy-one of their points came in the lane, which is the third-highest mark of the season.

 

Adebayo said, “For us, it’s how can we just sustain this type of way we are playing?”

 

Takeaways: 

  • It’s no surprise when a team shows up in top form, as the Heat did, after they’ve been embarrassed. Even Adebayo said at the postgame presser that’s how the team responds. Consider how they were recently abused in the open court to the tune of 36 points, 10 of which belonged to Ayo Dosunmu. He was held in check to 10 points on 33.3% accuracy and only two on the break, one day after lighting up the Heat with drive-bys and deep jumpers. They got some help from Davion Mitchell’s return after a six-game absence. He gave them playmaking and sharp defense.

 

  • The Heat’s power rotation was unstoppable. Adebayo was a man possessed, and Kel’el Ware, who was benched after three minutes on Saturday, finishing with 17 points on 53.3% shooting, with six rebounds. Four of his misses were from deep. Additionally, Adebayo (10) and Ware (14) scored double-digits in the lane, and the only other teammate to match that was Larsson (10). 

 

  • This was the 17th game the team has logged at least 50 rebounds (54) this season. Their record on those nights is 14-3. 

 

  • Norman Powell missed the game, but was named an All-Star reserve. He joins Jamal Murray, Demi Avdija, Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Johnson in making it for the first time.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat got wasted in the second half at home by the Bulls

/0 Comments/in , /by

They take a step forward and like clockwork, take one or two steps backward in the following game.

 

The Bulls scored 12 straight points without an answer in fewer than five minutes, causing coach Erik Spoelstra to summon the troops. Yet the visitors kept racing down court like the Running of the Bulls through Spanish streets, and they finished the first quarter scoring 14 fastbreak points and claiming a six-digit edge. 

 

It wasn’t much different than early in the second frame as they kept invading the lane, but the Heat countered with a 15-3 run and found gold in Myron Gardner’s minutes. Jaime Jaquez Jr. also ripped up the open court, and the crew got a boost from Chicago’s 14 turnovers heading into halftime with a seven-point lead. 

 

They subsequently surrendered their advantage with a cold start to the third, and Ayo Dosunmu kept producing in transition. They were outscored by 14 in the period, but if it weren’t for Pelle Larsson carrying them and Gardner doing the dirty work, it would’ve gotten uglier. 

 

Bam Adebayo then snapped out of his funk, nailing five consecutive shots in the lane and from the top of the key. But their downfall was committing seven late turnovers and being unable to stop Matas Buzelis and Ayo Dosunmu’s flurry, which included five baskets in the restricted area without a miss.

 

The Heat lost 125-118. They conceded 26 fastbreak points, which is the fourth-most of the year. It was their 11th loss at home this season, too.

 

Takeaways:

 

  • It was the 50th game of the regular season, and the Heat is the 10th seed, two games out of the sixth spot. The Bulls didn’t have their primary guards, Josh Giddey and Coby White, but they still got top-notch production from Dosunmu, who finished with 29 points on 68.8% shooting, with nine assists and eight rebounds.

 

  • Yuki Kawamura, the 5’7 point guard, got his first  minutes of the season for Chicago in half of the fourth quarter, and he was electric, hustling for loose balls, setting up teammates and nailing two 3-pointers.  

 

  • The third quarter was another turd quarter because they allowed 59.1% shooting and even had a four-minute drought that extended from late in the period until early in the fourth. On top of that, Isaac Okoro, who came into the game averaging 8.4 points per contest, scored 11 in the period. 

 

  • Gardner got his first career start, and had his first double-double with 12 points on 80% shooting, with 11 rebounds. Good things happen for the Heat in his minutes because of his high level of intensity to guard and track loose balls.

 

  • Spoelstra had no trust in Kel’el Ware after a poor three minutes. The former’s frustration was palpable at the postgame presser, saying, “I know every press conference becomes about him, and I don’t want it to be that.” He also said that it wasn’t an indictment of his player, but that the game was going too fast because Chicago was using small forwards at center. Furthermore, took blame for not making positive lineups with Ware.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat overcome the Bulls’ late surge in Chicago

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat escaped the Bulls in Chicago on the second night of a back-to-back despite playing below standard in the half-court and transition. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith logged two field goals apiece in the fourth quarter, and their poor late-game execution didn’t cost them after allowing the hosts to scrape their way back after being down 10 in the last few minutes.

 

“We know what we are capable of defensively,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. They held the Bulls to 41.9% shooting in the second half, but it wasn’t so clean.

 

Their long and short-range accuracy was the story of the first half, but issues have persisted after intermission this season for Miami. The 3-point shooting went cold in the second half, plus they got outrebounded and the Bulls lived at the line.

 

On top of that, Ayo Dosunmu was Chicago’s only source of offense, getting loose for 15 fourth-quarter points. It was the highest-scoring quarter of his career.

 

Larsson stripped Coby White in Bulls territory, while up three with _ seconds left, but Norman Powell turned it over, and instantly committed a penalty. He was fortunate it wasn’t a transition take-foul because Chicago would’ve had possession after their two free throws. 

 

Still, Larsson scored on a sideline inbound too early, instead of running down the remaining seconds. This allowed the Bulls to call a timeout, then get a clean last look to tie, but Coby White missed from 28 feet. 

 

The Heat won 116-113 and had lots of help from the bench (50 points). It was also their 12th game this season scoring at least 60 points in the lane (9-3).

 

Takeaways:

  • This was the makeup game from Jan. 8 that wasn’t played in Chicago because of the on-court condensation issue. This was the Bulls’ 29th clutch game of the season. 

 

  • Jović played well on defense because he is getting better at throwing his size around. Still, the Heat are a small team, and their potency wanes when satisfied with their work. That was part of the problem in the fourth quarter as they couldn’t guard without fouling and they put themselves in bad positions by turning the ball over five times.

 

  • Kel’el Ware didn’t play the fourth quarter, but he was still the team‘s best shot blocker and deep threat, making three treys. The team went small and conceded six offensive rebounds in the period. He was asked in the locker room about staying locked in after missing four games with a hamstring injury. He said, “Just doing what I can in my minutes. Whatever minutes I get, try to go out there and impact the game, and make it positive minutes.”

 

  • It was another night that Jaquez was the team’s best scoring threat. He logged 19 points on 61.5% shooting, with 10 rebounds, six dimes and zero turnovers. Aside from corner trey, all other shots came from within 1-9 feet because he’s an expert at getting to the body. Keep in mind that he’s making 75% of attempts at close range this season, which is a 7.3% increase from last year.

 

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: “We have to understand who we are…” Heat can’t overcome the Magic’s inside and outside scoring

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat were exposed by the desperate Orlando Magic in their fourth matchup of the season and remain winless against their in-state rivals. The latter was bigger, stronger and faster, plus Paolo Banchero and Anthony Black took over the game.

 

The Magic’s inside action was so devastating that the Heat surrendered the most first-quarter paint points of the season (26). The pick-6s also gave them trouble and zapped the offense as they ended the first quarter down seven points after going down as much as 13.

 

The second unit’s intensity in the zone defense, plus triggering the bonus for the last nine minutes of the half, which lowered Orlando’s RPMs, helped them capture the lead. It was a 41-point outburst, which included three trifectas by Simone Fontecchio and four shots in the restricted area between Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware.

 

Additionally, the hosts slowed down the inside bleeding in the half-court, yet still struggled when Orlando punched the gas in transition.

 

They went into intermission ahead by nine following 10 lead changes and two ties, and subsequently experienced the infamous turd quarter. They failed to stop Banchero’s close-range action, and Anthony Black erupted from inside and out, too.

 

“We couldn’t guard,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “To give up a 40-point third quarter on our home floor, with great opportunity, and playing really well in the first half, we just paid the price for that.”

 

Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Fontecchio’s three treys plus a fastbreak strike lifted them nearly halfway out of the double-digit ditch, forcing Orlando to call a timeout. But the Magic were unfazed and answered with mid and long-range jumpers that killed Miami’s spirit.

The Heat lost 133-124. Their record is now 25-23 at eighth in the East.

 

Takeaways:

 

  • The Magic came into the game on a four-game losing streak and were not messing around. They pummeled the lane early, went through their rough patch, and then figured out that as soon as the Heat face adversity, they fold. Another reason for their success was their superior play in the open court, which was partly due to Miami’s sloppiness with the ball. It was also the 11th time the Heat have given up at least 60 points in the lane, and they are 5-6 in those games.

 

  • The Heat were able to stay in a zone longer in the second quarter because the Magic are a poor outside shooting team. Yet, the Magic stepped up with 50% shooting from deep in the second half, plus their 20 second-chance points was back-breaker.

 

  • Ware’s two offensive rebounds turned into four second-chance points. He played decently for a spurt in the first half, but he was shelved for the rest of the game.

 

  • The Heat didn’t have answers for Black. He was a force on and off the dribble, when attacking the lane, and he nailed four 3-pointers. His best spurts were the first and third quarters, scoring four field goals apiece. He has a first step that most of Miami’s defenders can’t hang with.

 

  • Davion Mitchell and Tyler Herro were absent, so Kasparas Jakučiokis and Pelle Larsson started for them. Jakučionis had multiple steals, including one in full-court press that turned into a pick-6. Yet they only combined for 10 points on 36.3% shooting. Orlando’s versatile size is a tough matchup.

 

Tropical hoops roundup: FIU bounces back; FAU suffers setback; Miami deserves ranking

/0 Comments/in /by

The Florida International Panthers broke a five-game losing streak on Saturday on the road with an 81-78 win over New Mexico State.

Corey Stephenson carried the Panthers with a 25-point and 12-rebound performance. He shot 7-of-15 from the floor, including 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Julian Mackey scored 12 points on 3-of-6 from the three-point line, while both Zawdie Jackson and Ashton Williamson each added 10 points for FIU, which returned to .500 (10-10, 3-6) on the season.

The Aggies were led by Elijah Elliot, who scored a game-high 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting, and Jemel Jones (15 points). The Aggies outshot the Panthers from the three-point line but made three fewer baskets despite 10 more attempts.

Stephenson came up clutch in the final minute for FIU. He tied the game 78-78 with a three-point jump shot from 26 feet and secured the win with three free throws. He was responsible for all of FIU’s 10 points within the final five minutes.

The Panthers first established a double-digit lead in the first half after a 10-4 run to go up 33-23 five minutes before halftime. FIU went into intermission leading 40-31 after a three-pointer by Williamson.

The Panthers briefly return home on Wednesday to take on Jacksonville State before going back on the road to open February.

FAU suffers setback at South Florida

In the latest episode of a new in-state rivalry in the American Athletic Conference, Florida Atlantic falls on the road against South Florida 89-75 on Sunday. The Owls’ loss snaps their five-game winning streak.

The Owls (14-7, 6-2) remain the only team in the region to lead their conference, although their lead in the AAC is very slim. Only a half-game separates FAU from Tulsa, Temple, Charlotte, and USF at the top of the standings.

The Owls were led by star sophomore Devin Vanterpool, who scored 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting and 4-of-7 from the three-point line. Kanaan Carlyle scored 16 points, Josiah Parker added 13 and Isaiah Elohim chipped in 11 points for the Owls, who collectively made 27-of-66 (41%) field goals, shot 7-of-22 from three, and were 14-of-19 from the free throw line.

South Florida had five players score double digits, including Wes Enid, who scored 19 points with five three-point baskets. The Bulls had similar success from the arc but, overall, made 3 more field goals and 8 more free throws than FAU.

FAU’s largest lead came in the final minutes of the first half. A layup from Parker put the Owls up 36-28 with 1:15 to go. CJ Brown made a pair of free throws and Enis shot a three-pointer to put USF within three at halftime.

The game remained close early in the second half, as a layup from Parker had FAU leading 43-42 with 16:32 remaining. The Bulls swiftly went on to outscore the Owls 25-13, as a dunk from Izaiyah Nelson put them up 67-56 with 8:41 left in the game. The Bulls maintained their double-digit lead throughout the remainder of the second half.

FAU travels to Memphis on Thursday before returning home to host East Carolina on Feb. 1 and Tulsa on Feb. 4.

Miami deserves top 25 ranking

The Miami Hurricanes improved to 16-4 after an 85-76 road win against Syracuse on Saturday. Miami (5-2) is tied with Virginia for third place in the ACC behind Clemson (7-1) and Duke (7-0).

Malik Reneau led the Canes with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson added 16 points each and Tru Washington chipped in 14 points.

Miami is ahead of No. 22 North Carolina and No. 23 Louisville in the ACC standings, though the Canes haven’t played them yet. UM will host UNC on Feb. 10 and close out the regular season at home against Louisville on March 7.

Both UNC and Louisville are the only two ranked teams with five losses. Ranked wins against Kansas, Virginia, and Kentucky have kept UNC among the top 25. The Tar Heels host No. 5 Duke on Feb. 7 before traveling to Miami, which may bode well for the Canes.

Louisville is 2-3 against ranked teams this season, but defeating Kentucky and Indiana is enough to keep the Cardinals in the top 25 heading into Monday’s road game against Duke.

Miami’s schedule is keeping the Hurricanes outside the top 25 until they further prove themselves in the ACC. They had two opportunities against the top 10 (No. 10 Florida and No. 9 BYU) and fell short both times. Defeating Ole Miss and Georgetown helped stave off the notion of Miami feasting on mid-majors to boost its record leading up to conference play.

The Hurricanes didn’t just start the season with a new head coach but also a new team filled with experienced transfers. Reneau leads the Canes with 19.7 points per game after spending his first three years at Indiana. Donaldson is with his third team (Auburn and Michigan) in his fourth year and is averaging a career high 16 ppg. Junior Tru Washington, coming over from New Mexico, is averaging 11.8 ppg, and senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. (Kansas and TCU) is providing the defense with 10 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.

The lone true freshman starter, Shelton Henderson, is also making an impact with 14.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2 from the floor. Jai Lucas recruited Henderson at Duke before taking him to Miami with him and this is proof of his ability to assemble a squad through both high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

The Hurricanes host Stanford on Wednesday and close out the month against California on Jan. 31.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Heat finished off the Suns in Phoenix and takeaways

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat completed their back-to-back set in Utah and Phoenix with a pair of wins, as Bam Adebayo stepped up as a jump shooter on both nights, and the youngsters took over the fourth quarter against the Suns. It was the back end of their five-game road trip that lasted seven nights (2-3), and there are multiple things they can build on. 

 

 The Heat’s offensive rebounding, repeated trips to the charity line, plus Adebayo’s jump shooting, and Norman Powell’s rim pressure gave them an 11-point advantage going into the second quarter.

 

Yet the Suns tied it up five minutes later as they blasted the lane while the Heat briefly went cold. The latter eventually rediscovered their mojo and went into halftime up 10 and later experienced more turbulence in the third quarter. 

 

Jaime Jaquez Jr. subsequently sullied schemes with five pull-up jumpers and drive-bys in the fourth, while Pelle Larsson was immaculate on three close-range attempts. The other edge was contesting cleanly on most of Phoenix’s late 3-pointers. 

 

The Heat won 111-102. Jaquez said he is ready to go home to Miami, and that the team is “done talking about it, we just need to go do it,” regarding the upcoming stretch of games.

 

Coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t planning on playing him all of the fourth quarter, but Jaquez kept “generating so many good things” while Phoenix was going small, with Royce O’Neale at center.  

 

Four of the next five are in Miami. The other outing includes the make-up game the Heat have to play with the Bulls in Chicago, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 8. 

 

Takeaways:

 

  • Andrew Wiggins, Kasparas Jakučionis and Adebayo combined for 11 of the team’s 18 offensive rebounds. Keep in mind that the Heat set their season high in offensive rebounds on Saturday in Utah (26), and then had 18 in Phoenix, tying for the fourth-most this year. Furthermore, the Heat are athletic enough to be a huge factor on the offensive glass every night. When they hear Spoelstra telling them to impose their will, it can’t always be on rim attacks or side-to-side passes that expose the arc. The Heat can be in almost any game by hitting the boards this hard. 

 

  • Devin Booker and Jalen Green were absent, affecting the Suns’ playmaking and three-level scoring. One thing they can do very well is force over-help away from the arc. Still, the late protection is another area the Heat need to follow up on, because lately they’ve allowed way too many open to wide-open looks this season. Teams must be surrendering at least 10 points per game from shading away from the 3-point line, biting on pump fakes and lunging at shooters. Considering how undisciplined most of the league is, the Heat can have a serious edge by committing to being the best team in this department.

 

  • Adebayo has picked up his scoring in January and it’s helping give the team direction. Don’t forget he went nearly a month without scoring at least 20 points and now has done it seven times in his last eight nights. He’s shot 43.9% over that span, but it doesn’t matter. An aggressive Adebayo makes a lot of good things happen and inspires the troops.

 

  • Jaquez had 20 points and made 72.7% of his attempts, tying for his fifth-most accurate night of the year. His role as the second-unit leader is one of the three most important on the team because they need him to sustain their preferred pace.



Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Heat make easy work of the Jazz in Utah

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Heat crushed the Jazz, improving to 2-2 on their west coast road trip.  They rampaged on the glass and scored at least 140 points (147) for the eighth time this year (8-0).

 

The Heat had a bumpy start, giving up three backdoor cuts and coughing up two turnovers, but they cleaned things up, and invaded the lane eight times and recovered 10 offensive rebounds. It was all gas, no brakes, and they ended the period ahead by a point. 

 

They separated themselves by following up with strikes to the body, corralling nine more offensive boards, and even went on a 13-6 run to close the period, while blowing up nearly everything Utah was running. 

 

They were up 73-52 at halftime and had five scorers in double figures. Brice Sensebaugh subsequently nailed three trifectas in the third quarter, but it didn’t make a dent as the Heat kept their feet on the accelerator. The Heat also started the fourth quarter ahead by 19 and it quickly became a formality as the Jazz never found any answers to slow them down.

 

The Heat won 147-116, despite allowing 70 points in the lane, which is the the second-most they’ve allowed this season.



 

Takeaways:

 

  • The Heat outrebounded the Jazz by 29, and set a new season high with 26 offensive rebounds. The previous highest season was 21 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 17. Bam Adebayo (15) and Dru Smith (10) were the team’s leading rebounders against Utah.

 

  • Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakučionis started together. Larsson was affected by two fouls, forcing him to sit in the first two minutes, yet still had a dozen on immaculate shooting by halftime and finished with 20 points on 63.6% accuracy, with two rebounds and three dimes. Furthermore, Jakučionis got the start because of Davion Mitchell’s absence (shoulder), and he scored efficiently on and off the dribble. His best spurt was in the third quarter, logging nine of his 12 points. 

 

  • Jakučionis was accidentally hit by Ace Bailey’s elbow in the temple with fewer than three minutes left. Adebayo and Norman Powell then escorted him to the locker room.

 

  • Myron Gardner is on a two-way contract, yet his energy is infectious, and his hustle bought the team extra possessions. He guarded his tail off, too. 

 

  • This was the Heat’s 11th time this season scoring at least 70 by halftime (73), and they are undefeated on those nights. 

 

  • One thing Utah did exceptionally well is cut nonstop to the hoop. Keyonte George and Bailey did serious damage on these plays, and Jusuf Nurkić set up a good chunk of them.

 

  •  The Heat are the eighth seed, only a half-game ahead of the Chicago Bulls. Both squads will see each other thrice from Jan. 29 through Feb. 1.



Feast or Famine: What to make of FIU basketball?

/0 Comments/in /by

The Florida International Panthers enter a crucial C-USA road trip on Thursday at UTEP after dropping down to .500 (9-9, 2-5) after four straight losses.

Both FIU and UTEP sit slightly above the conference cellar at 2-5. Unlike UTEP, the Panthers looked like an elusive winning season was within reach.

Not every college basketball team enters the season with the same realistic goals. The system dictates that only winning the conference tournament matters in all but six conferences. However, for many mid-major teams, finishing the season with a winning record would qualify as a success.

Jeremy Ballard has been the FIU head coach since 2018, but the Panthers haven’t finished above .500 since his second season. However, the current college sports system allows coaches like Ballard to pick a new roster each year, hoping to find the right combination of talent and experience to end FIU’s postseason drought.

The entire FIU starting five arrived in Miami via the transfer portal. Corey Stephenson has given the Panthers an identity on offense with his 17.5 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting. Only four other players in the C-USA have scored more this season.

Stephenson, a senior transfer from Cal-State Bakersfield, has had his best games against the toughest opponents. He scored 23 points and a season-high six assists against Miami and dropped 25 against LSU and James Madison earlier in the season.

Entering the conference slate of the 2025-26 season, FIU looked like it was trending towards its first winning season since 2019-20. Winning two of their first three conference games had the Panthers trending upward. The only game they lost during that stretch came against C-USA leading Liberty and went into overtime.

The Panthers have proven that they can certainly play with the best of them. FIU enters Thursday’s matchup having averaged the third most points (83.7) in C-USA with the third highest field goal percentage (46.0). While they also allow the most points on defense in C-USA, the Panthers are fifth in rebounds and second in blocks behind Hamed Olayinka and Eric Dibami.

FIU will travel to New Mexico State on Saturday to take on an Aggies team that has lost seven of its last 11. FIU previously defeated NMSU at home 89-74 on Jan. 2, behind Stephenson’s 21 points and Dibami’s 10 rebounds.

Despite their current skid, the Panthers are only a slight turnaround away from vaulting back into contention.