Late monday night the HEAT played the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on the 1st night of a back2back & the 1st game of a 5 game west coast road trip. Tyler Herro did not travel with the team. Davion Mitchell & Jaime Jaquez Jr came back after 2 games out. This game featured both 8th place teams of each conference. Miami was coming off their most impressive victory all season vs the OKC Thunder.
Your starters for this late tip 🔥Both teams came out playing sloppy on offense in the early part of the 1st quarter. The HEAT opened up missing 8 of their first 10 shots. Although Miami couldn’t hit a shot to start, they finally did got some offense going off their defense.
Andrew Wiggins looked like he was ready to play as he came out attacking the basket & hitting 3s. Wiggins had a quick 11 first-quarter points in his return to Golden State.
Both teams settled into the flow of the game & started attacking the basket with competitive athleticism. Jimmy Butler was wheelin & dealin for the Warriors with 13 points in the 1Q. Kel’el Ware had a nice finish on this fastbreak in the highlight here ⬇️.
This shot 🤯It was Warriors 36, Heat 34 after one.
In the 2Q both teams were playing physical in the half court & attempting to run in transition but it wasn’t that efficient offensively. Golden State was capitalizing off Miami turnovers & feasting in the paint offensively.
Ira Winderman tweeted, “For those watching and asking why Fontecchio over Jovic, he currently leads the Heat with seven rebounds. No teammate with more than four.”
At halftime it was Warriors 70, Heat 66. Jimmy Butler had 15 points for Golden State & Andrew Wiggins had 18 points for Miami.
In the 3Q the HEAT we’re trying to get Bam Adebayo activated on offense as he only had 2 points early in the 2nd half. Midway thru the quarter, Warriors Gaurd Jimmy Butler III took a fall in the period after pacing the warriors on offense all game.
Norm Powell kept attacking the basket.
Since the Butler injury, the warriors went on a 12-0 run & basically ran away with the game. Miami HEAT shot making was limited in the 3rd period but here’s a few highlights ⬇️.
Even with Jimmy Butler lost for the night and Draymond Green getting the night off, Warriors lead the Heat 104-93 going into the fourth period.
In the 4Q, GSW kept pouring it on the HEAT with some incredible shot making. Miami kept grinding offensively for anything they could get. Simone Fontecchio was making the most plays for the HEAT.
Steph Curry then picked up his 5th foul with about 9 minutes left in the game & that opened the door for a HEAT comeback with Curry to the bench.
The opportunities were there for Miami but they just couldn’t convert when they needed to.
Final.
FINAL: HEAT 112, Warriors 135
Powell: 21pts
Wiggins: 18pts, 5rebs
Ware: 15pts
Fontecchio: 13pts, 8rebs
Jaquez Jr.: 10pts, 5rebs, 9asts
Considering who the Warriors had available by the end, with Curry in foul trouble, it's tough to look at this as anything but a missed opportunity.
Miami did their work on the glass, but turnovers cost them and the shooting couldn't keep up.
Coup’s Takeaways:
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