Injuries mount as the Miami Heat struggled against the Minnesota Timberwolves' aggressive offense. Key players were sidelined, leaving the Heat shorthanded in a tough matchup.
Miami, FL - The Miami Heat found new life during the regular season, having strung together four consecutive, convincing victories, with the latest coming on Thursday night, Jan 1st, against the Detroit Pistons with a final score of 118-112. Veteran guard Norman Powell recorded an explosive performance with 36 points, including seven three-pointers made, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 35 minutes. There's no doubt that it was a big confidence boost after nine out of 11 games.
However, another great challenge presented itself in the Minnesota Timberwolves, who entered Saturday night's matchup with a 21-13 record, sixth in the loaded Western Conference. They've experienced struggles of their own, losing three out of four recent games.
Both sides were looking to restore order from within.
The Heat remained without All-Star guard Tyler Herro due to a reaggravated right big toe contusion injury. The 25-year-old has only appeared in six games thus far. Also, second-year guard Pelle Larsson was sidelined due to a right ankle sprain. On the Timberwolves' side, second-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. would miss his fourth consecutive game due to a left foot abductor hallucis strain.
Regardless of who's available, there was still a game to play.
The starting lineups:
Heat: Davion Mitchell-Norman Powell-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adebayo-Kel'el Ware
Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo-Anthony Edwards-Jaden McDaniels-Julius Randle-Rudy Gobert
It was time for tipoff and four-time Defensive Player of the Year veteran center Rudy Gobert was the first to punch the scoreboard with a putback dunk after a missed three-pointer from Donte DiVincenzo. The Timberwolves were establishing their size from jumpball, as the 33-year-old seven-footer scored the team's first six points of the game.
However, it didn't stop there and the visitors sparked an early 17-4 run, led by All-Star Anthony Edwards, capping it with a couple of three-pointers. The Heat responded with great execution on both sides of the court to finish the first quarter with a 27-25 score, trailing.
It's worth noting that Powell missed a majority of the early action due to right leg soreness.
Throughout the second quarter, nagging injuries continued to bite the Heat, such as Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was later ruled out for the rest of the game due to a right ankle sprain. The Serbian forward remained available, despite hobbling for a moment.
Neither side was producing efficient offense, but the Timberwolves managed to head into halftime ahead, with a score of 56-50. The Heat were already far from being at full strength; losing more bodies was less encouraging, despite Powell's return.
The Timberwolves came out of the locker room aggressive, attacking the rim, including an Edwards driving layup, finishing plus the foul, and converting at the free throw line. The Heat threw some punches, but they were met with responses. The score was 90-86 at the end of the third quarter, but while the score may be close, the Timberwolves appeared more in control. It would translate in the fourth quarter by sparking a 23-6 run, led by former Sixth Man of the Year center Naz Reid.
The Heat attempted a late comeback, but there wasn't enough, and the four-game winning-streak was snapped, after a final score of 125-115.
Powell still led the team in scoring, despite missing most of the first quarter, with 21 points, a rebound, an assist, and a steal in 25 minutes. Davion Mitchell had one of his best games of the season, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds, and six assists in 34 minutes.
Meanwhile, Adebayo's sluggish offense came out once again, recording 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a block in 34 minutes. It's certainly below his own standards, especially as the face of the franchise. The team doesn't need him to score the most points, but they do demand a bigger impact.
"Once it got to double digits," Erik Spoelstra said. "We lost our concentration. It can happen against a good team. That's what we're working on, we're getting better with it, I'm seeing a lot of progress, but there's that pocket that it just went to 10 to 20 quickly. It was three or four mistakes that just compounded, one after another, on both ends of the court. Either turnovers, not executing the way we needed to, or having some defensive breakdowns. It's a shame because it felt like this was going to be a possession game going down the stretch."
Following the loss, which resulted in the Heat's record becoming 19-16, they fell back into the Play-In Tournament bracket, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. There's still a massive opportunity to climb, but it's important to capitalize on opportunities before they vanish.
The Heat will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, who are having a horrendous season, currently 8-28 and dead last in the Western Conference standings.
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