The Miami Heat have been right here earlier than.
Well, not actually right here, at Crypto.Com Arena, however in opposition to an opponent missing comparable depth and breadth of the roster.
On that early December evening, Erik Spoelstra’s crew discovered a option to lose on the street to a Memphis Grizzlies crew with out Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and different starters.
This time, on Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers supplied even much less star energy, missing LeBron James resulting from sickness and Anthony Davis resulting from harm.
So this time the Heat outdid themselves, or, extra to the purpose, undid themselves, stumbling to a 112-109 loss that interrupted the momentum of what had been eight victories of their earlier 11 video games.
“Honestly, I think we tend to do that,” ahead Jimmy Butler mentioned of enjoying right down to the extent of competitors, “It’s not very professional.”
The loss got here regardless of Butler stepping up his sport to compensate for an off evening from Tyler Herro, and with Bam Adebayo once more offering constant put up play along with his third consecutive 30-point sport.
Adebayo closed with 30 factors and 13 rebounds, Butler with 27 factors. No different Heat participant scored greater than 12.
“Every time we get a little bit of footing on the season,” Spoelstra mentioned, “then we have a disappointing loss.”
The Lakers had been led by Dennis Schroder’s 32 factors, with Russell Westbrook providing 21 factors, eight rebounds and 9 assists off the Lakers bench.
The Lakers put it away by scoring on 11 of the ultimate 12 possessions.
“We’ve got to find a way to guard the ball,” Butler mentioned, “as simple as that.”
Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday’s sport:
1. Closing time: The Lakers led 32-23 on the finish of the primary interval, 52-48 at halftime, after going up 13 within the second interval, and 79-78 going into the fourth quarter.
The Heat then moved to a six-point edge early within the fourth quarter, their largest result in that stage, solely to see Schroder put the Lakers again up 92-90 with 5:22 to play. Schroder then bought again to the road on a three-shot foul with 2:35 to play, placing the Lakers up 102-96.
Butler adopted with a 3-pointer to attract the Heat inside 102-99.
It remained a three-point sport till Adebayo scored on a putback to attract the Heat inside 104-103 with 62 seconds to play.
Schroder then bought to the road with 43.6 seconds left, making each free throws for a 106-103 Lakers lead.
An unsuccessful Lakers replay problem adopted on a name that despatched Heat guard Victor Oladipo to the road with 39.5 seconds to play. Oladipo made solely the second free throw, to go away the Heat down 106-104.
But again got here Schroder with a driving layup and 108-104 Lakers lead with 20.3 to play.
“They got to their shots,” Heat level guard Kyle Lowry mentioned. “They got to their strengths.”
The Heat then burned their ultimate two timeouts trying to inbound, with an Adebayo putback basket drawing the Heat inside 108-106 with 15.4 seconds left.
A Westbrook basket with 4.2 seconds to play made it a four-point sport, with a Max Strus 3-pointer drawing the Heat inside 110-109 with 3.2 seconds to play.
Two Schroder free throws closed the scoring, with Butler off with a 3-point try on the buzzer.
“It was not just down the stretch,” Adebayo mentioned of the Heat’s failings. “There were so many missed opportunities.”
2. Adebayo once more: With Lakers coach Darvin Ham the newest to heap reward on Adebayo, the Heat middle then went out and closed the primary half with 12 factors and 5 rebounds, as much as 23 factors on the finish of the third interval.
“My teammates were just giving me the ball,” mentioned Adebayo, who joined Dwyane Wade, Glen Rice and James as Heat gamers with a minimum of three consecutive 30-point video games.
But with Adebayo again in a switching position defensively, it usually left the Heat enjoying undersized on the rim in late-clock conditions, with Lakes middle Thomas Bryant taking benefit on his 21-point evening.
Ultimately, the Heat misplaced the sport on the defensive rim.
“They kind of set the tone in the first quarter just driving and attacking us relentlessly and we just weren’t able to get a hold of that part of our defense,” Spoelstra mentioned.
“It was just one drive after another.”
3. Measured method: Two days after saying he nonetheless was hopeful of additional enchancment along with his troublesome proper knee, and two nights after being restricted to 9 factors in opposition to the Clippers, Butler took a measured method early however then confirmed a extra aggressive bent, scoring eight factors within the first 2:43 of the second half.
Butler’s ninth level moved him previous Shaquille O’Neal for seventeenth on the Heat all-time scoring checklist.
He was as much as 23 factors going into the fourth, after scoring 13 within the third interval.
But he didn’t exit happy.
“We’ve just got to figure this thing out,” he mentioned.
4. Something large: Dewayne Dedmon returned to the Heat rotation after lacking the earlier six video games, the primary three resulting from plantar fasciitis and the following three resulting from NBA health-and-safety protocols.
Dedmon’s earlier motion was the Dec. 20 dwelling loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Dedmon truly was the second Heat large man off the bench, with two-way participant Orlando Robinson given the preliminary minutes behind Adebayo.
Of having Dedmon again, with Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jovic out, Spoelstra mentioned pregame. “We’ll take the depth when we can get it.”
Dedmon entered for the primary time with 6:29 to play within the second interval, then performed forward of Robinson within the second half.
Ultimately, Dedmon performed solely seven minutes, Robinson solely his preliminary 4.
5. Five on the ground: For the primary time since Dec. 10-12, the Heat opened with the identical lineup because the earlier sport, with their most well-liked first 5 of Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Butler, Lowry and Herro. The Heat are actually 6-8 with that beginning lineup.
“We just can’t have these lack-of-concentration games,” Lowry mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com