The Heat got waxed by the Pacers in Indiana so severely that they quit before the fourth quarter started. Perhaps they were thinking of their next outing on Sunday at OKC, but it showed the unit’s extreme variance: defeating the best team in the East, the Detroit Pistons, nine days earlier, and looking as hopeless as the bottom feeders on Saturday.

 

The Pacers were using their league-leading 23rd starting lineup, which had more chemistry than Miami’s, and they led by eight points before the first substitution. Despite a prosperous sequence in the second and third quarters, it didn’t matter what the Heat tried; there was too much dead weight, and the Pacers broke their spirit with an abundance of 3-pointers and open-court strikes.

 

Andrew Nembhard smoked them in the first half with six baskets at short, middle and long range. He then continued pouring in 3-pointers, plus four of his teammates piled on in the third quarter, each logging two baskets apiece.

 

The Heat started the fourth quarter down 27 points and it was already garbage time because Tyler Herro was their only starter who played significant minutes in the period. 

 

They lost 123-99. It was their fourth game logging below 100 points (0-4) this year.

 

Takeaways:

 

• Another game, another disappointing night from Bam Adebayo. He isn’t imposing his presence offensively because of lost confidence, and at some points, is invisible. He finished with 13 points on 41.7% shooting, with nine rebounds and two assists. It was the fifth straight game he has shot below 50% and the 18th this season.

 

• The closest they got within the second was half was down seven points, but the avalanche came immediately and they failed to respond. They had poor execution, turning the ball over six times in the third. T.J. McConnell was one of the players who destroyed them, pushing the pace unbothered, and exposing openings with the pass.

 

• The Heat have been the fastest team all season, but they were steps behind the Pacers, who went small with Pascal Siakam at center. The visitors only scored 100 points per 100 transition plays, good enough for the 19th percentile per Cleaning the Glass. Sure, teams eventually come out like gangbusters when they get sick and tired of the taste of constant defeat. The Pacers were going to come out like that eventually, but the concerning part for the Heat was their inability to match intensity.

 

• If this were a boxing fight, the Heat would have been on the ropes, eating bombs from all angles. They only made 39% of attempts, and it’s surprising their accuracy even got that high. Consider that they only had one trifecta in the first half (8.3%), which is the lowest they’ve recorded this season before intermission, and finished with four, the lowest total this year.

 

• Herro replaced Kel’el Ware in the starting lineup and was the team’s best player. His baskets kept them on life support before the Pacers disconnected them.

 

The Heat started the new year strong, claiming their fourth in a row in one of their top wins against the soaring Pistons in Detroit.  It was their second meeting of the season, and of course, it was decided in crunch time.  

 

It was only Detroit’s third home loss.  Coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I think this was an important one for us to get…Detroit’s a good defensive team. You’re not just going to always be able to get what you want to, particularly in the half-court. 

 

The 3-pointers and drive-by layups were falling like raindrops early for the Heat, and they went on a 14-0 run late in the first quarter. 

 

Then the Pistons raised their intensity, walling off the lane to suppress the inside action. It didn’t help that the Heat were missing open treys, but Norman Powell rescued them with a quick burst of three deep jumpers and a floater through the lane, giving them a 63-54 lead going into halftime.

 

Cade Cunningham maneuvered his way to the line a few times, and the Pistons closed the quarter on an 11-5 run, but their offense was too limited, countering the Heat’s stream of triples. Jalen Duren also sprained his right ankle on a move into the lane and didn’t return. His absence left their defense unfastened, and the Heat maintained separation, making seven shots in the lane and pouring in four extra 3-pointers, including two from Powell. 

 

Subsequently, Paul Reed emerged as a threat for Detroit, and Marcus Sasser got loose. Cunningham caught the Heat’s schemes, but they were slow to rotate on multiple occasions, and their lead was sliced to two with 46.4 seconds left.  

 

Yet the Heat were bailed out by Jaquez, hitting a turnaround baseline jumper, and Mitchell stealing the inbound. 

 

They won 118-112.

 

Takeaways:

 

• Powell didn’t make any fourth-quarter field goals, but he was their only starter to shoot at least 50%. (52.2). It was also his second-highest scoring game in a Heat uniform (36), and a good chunk of his points were on off-script plays. He made half the team’s 3-pointers (7), too.

 

• The Heat’s strategy to double Cunningham in the fourth quarter was dangerous and they should have played tighter without helping. Nonetheless, serious teams find ways to get it done when their actions are neutralized. The Heat were ordinary in the half-court, but scored 26 fastbreak points, and benefited from Detroit’s 20 giveaways.  

 

• Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s ability to get his shot off when he wants, going at the rim, and his playmaking for others are a pivotal part of the Heat’s success. He comes in off the bench, keeping the offensive RPMs elevated. He finished with 19 points on 69.2% shooting, with three rebounds and five assists. 

 

• Miami’s double-big lineup gives the back line some teeth and allows fewer mismatches. They weren’t a big factor in the scoring department, but they combined for 27 rebounds and were a big part of why the Pistons only had six offensive boards. 

 

Both teams had to snap out of their funk at some point, going into the game on a combined seven straight losses, and the Heat beat the Hawks to the punch in Atlanta. They avoided falling below .500 thanks to six players scoring in double figures, and Pelle Larsson’s top-grade marksmanship and versatility eclipsed all. 

 

He nailed three trifectas and six shots in the lane, and he was one of the main forces that kept the Heat from stalling as the first quarter ended in a stalemate (32). Coach Erik Spoelstra sang his praises postgame, too, calling his work the glue. 

 

They also got back to playing in the fast lane, scoring 22 points in the open court.

 

Norman Powell was next in contributions, logging 25 points on 56.3 accuracy, with five offerings and seven boards.

 

Props to Jaime Jaquez Jr. for playing as he did before opponents started scheming him out by putting mobile bigs on him. 

 

Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were absent, but the defense, playmaking, and rebounding were back to what they were when the team was hot to start the year. They tied their fifth-highest output in the paint this season (66), and the most eyebrow-raising stat was that eight of them racked up 14 steals to offset their weak 3-point shooting. 

 

Atlanta’s two main threats, Jalen Johnson and Trae Young, got what they wanted at short and long range, but the Hawks registered 19 fewer shots.

 

It couldn’t have been done without Kel’el Ware stepping up. His vertical spacing from the dunker spot was out of reach for Atlanta, and cutting in for tip-ins with a pair of threes produced 16 digits on 70% shooting. 

 

Their record is now 10-5 when scoring at least 120 points (126-111), and it was the second time this year that they had three players make at least nine shots (Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, and Powell).

 

Coach Steve Kerr erroneously said the team needed Draymond Green after he quit on them in the win over the Orlando Magic. A tense chat between them started it, and while the once-upon-a-time two-way star was out of the picture, the team outscored their visitors 54-26 the rest of the way. 

 

Green said at the post-game press conference that his exchange with Kerr was getting too hot, so he thought it best to “remove” himself. While that strategy is sound for a multitude of situations, it is not when you are in the trenches with the team. He didn’t think it could get better, but it would have if he just sat there, swallowing his pride.

 

Also, when he was asked how frustrated he was with his play- a watered-down eight points, six rebounds, and five assists for the season- he cited his one turnover on Monday as evidence for playing well.

 

Consider how they were prosperous against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, with him only playing eight minutes due to an ejection. It would only be natural for the background players in line to hope he keeps surrendering minutes, so they get the opportunity for a larger payday. 

 

Maybe someone could get away with that behavior if they were a star, but not a role player—much less, one who is age 35 and past his prime. Don’t forget it was Green who said in November that it didn’t feel like everyone was committed to winning, and it was him who showed a commitment to himself on Monday. 

 

After all the years of catching back talk and defending him for actions that hurt the team, it’s a wonder how Kerr hasn’t gotten sick of him to the point of telling an executive to trade him. Green and Stephen Curry are tight, so it would have affected the latter somehow, but he would probably get over it if they got a player back who was more of a threat.

 

Kerr is the one who is largely responsible for how Green has been enabled to stink up the joint and act like a savant because he’s been so soft on accountability. This time, he should have Green come off the bench for his impudence. It would give Jimmy Butler added chances to make plays in the starting unit, and he puts exponentially more pressure on a defense. 

 

Green’s list of priors is too extensive to highlight every detail, but he became more trouble than he was worth, one could argue, six years ago, starting with his alienation of Kevin Durant by calling him a “bitch” publicly. His worst offense was in 2022, when he heartlessly cold-cocked Jordan Poole, ruining the harmonious environment of the defending champions. 

 

For years he has been their “emotional leader,” but the messaging counts for less when one can’t be counted on. He might never accept he isn’t what he used to be, but Kerr has to.

 

Team Green was too mean, shooting down the visitors with a cascade of 3-pointers. Derrick White (9) and Sam Houser (5) were the main culprits of the Heat’s destruction, and the Celtics’ first six baskets of the fourth quarter were all treys.

 

It’s now six losses in the last seven outings, and their run-and-stun offense was disabled again. Of all the absences, which include Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, the latter’s affected them the most. Mitchell’s dribble penetration and precise passing are stabilizing forces the team cannot lack.

 

Their only bright spots were that Kel’el Ware set a career-high in made triples (6) and was a powerhouse on the glass, showing he’s ready for more. Rookie Kasparas Jakučionis also made five 3-pointers with four assists against one turnover in his first career start.

 

Jaime Jaquez Jr., who doesn’t usually start, struggled early then had a stronger second half, making four deposits in the lane. But Bam Adebayo had a subdued performance, and Norman Powell possibly damaged the rim with all his missed 3-point attempts. The bench was abysmal, too, scoring 27 points on a scant 32.1% shooting.

 

The Celtics schooled the Heat, playing fast, scoring 210 points per 100 transition plays, good enough for the 100th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. On top of that, the Green held them to 36 points in the lane, which was 18 points below their average.

 

The Heat lost 129-116 after getting outscored by 10 in the fourth. Ten of Boston’s 13 field goals in the frame were triples, which was double the Heat’s.

 

The Heat badly need to get it together as they’ve dropped to 15-13 because somehow, as dull as they’ve been, they are only two games out of the third seed. Their offense needs a tweak since they’ve shown too many holes when they can’t go 100 miles per hour and need to be in the half-court.