For the Heat, these consecutive residence video games on Wednesday and Saturday nights crystalise the season.
The highest of highs.
And now, once more, the bottom of lows.
On Wednesday night time, there was the emotional victory over the New York Knicks that created hope of a possible No. 5 playoff seed.
And then Saturday at Miami-Dade Atrena, a 129-100 thud of a loss to the Brooklyn Nets that dumped the Heat again to No. 7 within the East, one spot out of a direct ticket to the best-of-seven first spherical of the playoffs.
Sizzling early, the Heat fizzled within the third quarter, because the Nets accomplished the 3-0 season sweep.
For the Heat, it finally resulted within the crew’s worst residence loss since Dec. 2020 towards the Milwaukee Bucks.
Tyler Herro and Max Strus led the Heat with 23 factors apiece, with Jimmy Butler including 18 and Bam Adebayo 16.
The Nets, who held the Heat to 31 second-half factors, have been led by the 27 of Mikal Bridges.
Five Degrees of Heat from Saturday’s sport:
1. Third wave: The Heat shot 13 of 16 from the sphere and 6 of seven on 3-pointers to take a 36-28 lead into the second interval. But even at .659 from the sphere and 9 of 15 on threes, the Heat’s lead stood at solely 69-65 on the half.
It then all got here aside within the third interval, with a 31-6 Nets run fueling them to a 104-87 lead going into the fourth.
The 39-18 third interval was essentially the most lopsided quarter for the Nets this season since parting with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
2. Not this time: There was no remaining push from Butler as a result of the Heat didn’t place him for one.
Butler, who had been taking part in at an All-NBA stage, took his first remainder of the second half with 52.9 seconds to play within the second after which returned sooner than typical, with 8:31 to play. But by then the Heat have been down 112-92.
Eventually the towel was thrown in with 3:30 to play when Omer Yurtseven and Duncan Robinson have been inserted with the Heat down 124-97.
Butler closed 6 of 13 from the sphere and 5 of seven from the road, with 5 assists.
3. Playoff race: With the loss, the Heat fell to 40-35, now a half-game behind the Nets for the No. 6 Eastern Conference playoff seed, the ultimate direct berth to the best-of-seven opening spherical of the playoffs.
The loss additionally dropped the Heat two video games behind the No. 5 New York Knicks, with the groups to fulfill Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
In the race for the highest play-in seed, the Heat’s lead over the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks was decreased to 2 1/2 video games. The high seed within the play-in will get two home-game possibilities to provide a single victory wanted to advance to the playoffs.
The Heat have seven remaining regular-season video games, 5 of them on the highway.
4. Crash course: Part of the Nets’ capability to push to that 17-point lead on the finish of the third quarter was 13 offensive rebounds yielded to Brooklyn over the primary three durations, which the Nets changed into 25 second-chance factors.
Even with that deficit, the Heat elected to stay small of their energy rotation, using Haywood Highsmith off the bench as a substitute of Yurtseven.
The Heat stay hopeful of an imminent return from veteran massive man Cody Zeller from the damaged nostril sustained two weeks in the past.
The Nets closed with 17 offensive rebounds and outscored the Heat 29-14 on second-chance factors.
5. Mad Max: Strus scored 13 in his first 3:25 to spark the Heat to their early lead, taking pictures 5 of 5 from the sphere and three of three on 3-pointers
He then, within the second interval, prolonged his good begin to 9 of 9 from the sphere and 5 of 5 on 3-pointers.
Status’ solely first-half miss was an try to beat the first-half buzzer, dropping his 9 of 10 and 5 of 6 at halftime.
Strus was as much as 23 factors by the intermission, tying his profession excessive for any half.
But he then missed his solely try in a scoreless third interval and didn’t rating within the second half.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com