The Miami Heat faltered in the second half, witnessing a dominant Oklahoma City Thunder run that sealed their third consecutive road loss and winless trip.
Oklahoma City, OK - The Miami Heat were in desperate need of a bounce-back game and performance after suffering an excruciating loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, Jan. 10th, with a final score of 123-99. Norman Powell had his worst game of the season, finishing with six points and shooting 16.7 percent from the field. However, the veteran guard would not play against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder due to lower back soreness.
Also, Isaiah Hartenstein was sidelined due to a right soleus strain.
It's the conclusion of a four-game road trip, in which the Heat were winless, plus the Chicago Bulls' matchup was postponed due to condensation on the court. However, a new opportunity was presented. After the Thunder's excellent start to the regular season, there's been a minor dip in production.
In a way, both sides were seeking to get their seasons back on track.
The starting lineups:
Heat: Davion Mitchell-Tyler Herro-Pelle Larsson-Andrew Wiggins-Bam Adebayo
Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Cason Wallace-Lu Dort-Jalen Williams-Chet Holmgren
The Heat were off to a much better start against the Thunder compared to the Pacers, as Davion Mitchell struck from behind the arc after a Jalen Williams' layup. They sparked an early, strong 14-3 run by knocking down four three-pointers. However, the reigning champions weren't going to be defeated easily, making key baskets to get back in the game and closing the first quarter trailing by just two points after an Andrew Wiggins corner three-pointer made before the buzzer. The score was 34-32.
The second quarter was close and competitive, but met with sloppy offenses on both sides. The Heat executed enough to stay in front heading into halftime, with a score of 59-54. At this point, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have struggled, combining for 10 points. Meanwhile, the Thunder's All-Star duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combined for 21 points. Role players stepping up is great, but it's better when the top players are following along.
However, the reigning champions would soon take complete control of the game, sparking a massive 32-10 run, which gave them the lead without looking back. Afterwards, the Heat couldn't recover and ended the road trip winless, with a final score of 124-112.
Adebayo and Herro finished with 25 points between them, which is unacceptable for any All-Star duo. Andrew Wiggins led with 23 points, including seven three-pointers made, which was short of tying a career-high, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. It was one of his most productive games of the season.
The Heat made more shots from behind the arc than the Thunder, 17 to 10, but they were the more physical team, grabbing 46 rebounds, 14 coming from the offensive glass, which led to 26 second-chance points.
"We just have to be, overall tougher," Erik Spoelstra said. "It's not just physical toughness. I felt like we brought physical toughness, but the mental toughness, when the momentum starts to swing the other way, you hold the fort. You don't fuel it with turnovers and poor defensive possessions."
The Heat's record falls to 20-19 on the season, currently sitting at eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. They will soon host a three-game homestand against tough opponents, including the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, and the Thunder again. It's an important week to get back on track, or the trade deadline could result in difficult business decisions.
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