Miami Heat: A Look At The December Ahead

As the Miami Heat come off of a 99-81 loss against the Charlotte Hornets on the road, they must gear up for a busy December. Before they can welcome in the new year, they will play six games at home and six games away.

On Friday, December 11 the Heat will head to Indianapolis, to continue their road trip.

Having lost 90-87 already to the Indiana Pacers on November 6, Miami will have to give this their all. Although Chris Bosh walked away with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Hassan Whiteside totaled 12 boards, the team seemed distracted. Gerald Green was still out with what was then labeled “illness,” and Hassan was frustrated with how well Paul George was able to keep up with him; both guys received technicals in the fourth quarter.

Miami will then return home on Sunday, December 13 to welcome the Memphis Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, the Heat lost twice to the Grizzlies last year. But the good news is right now they are 12-10, coming in sixth in the Western Conference. And even despite adding former Miami fan favorite Mario Chalmers, it does not seem as though this level of play will be changing any time soon.

Mike Conley Jr. had a horrible game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, coming up with only 6 assists and 1 steal. For the last three games, he has only shot 26 percent and made only two-of-ten from downtown. And as for Zach Randolph? He has not exactly been healthy this season.

The Heat will play Memphis again on Tuesday, December 29 on the road (their last game of 2015).

Monday, December 14 marks the matchup in Atlanta.

The Heat have already lost once to the Hawks, falling 98-92 on November 3. Whiteside had a nice game, scoring 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade powered through a migraine while finishing with 21 points. However, the team effort was not enough to outwork Atlanta.

Fortunately, the Hawks are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference (with Miami coming in second). DeMarre Carroll now plays for Toronto, leaving Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha to fill the void. Tiago Splitter has been dealing with a hip injury. And Kyle Korver is trying to mix up his 3-point only game, with some long two’s.

This will still be a rough trip for the Heat though. Atlanta is an all together solid squad, who work and go hard at every opportunity.

Miami will travel to New York next, on Wednesday, December 16.

The Heat won all four of their matchups against the Brooklyn Nets last season. And on top of that, they stand at 6-15 as of Wednesday night.

They will also host the Nets on Monday, December 28.

The Heat will get to stay home for a while, hosting the Toronto Raptors on Friday, December 18.

The last time Miami took on Toronto, they came out successful, 96-76 on November 8. Bosh tallied 23 points and Whiteside finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The team played well period, but had an especially strong second half.

However, even though Carroll has not been too hot so far this year, they are still 13-9.

The Portland Trailblazers will pay South Beach a visit on Sunday, December 20.

The two teams split the series last year, but things have not been going great for Portland. At 9-14, the team is in a transition phase, focused on being a successful franchise in the future.

Both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are stars without a doubt, however they need some help. Big man Mason Plumlee is already a force to be reckoned with, but in a few years, will be that much better.

On Tuesday, December 22 the Detroit Pistons are coming to town.

The Heat somehow lost to the Pistons, 104-81, on November 25. And really it comes down to one guy: Andre Drummond.

Drummond totaled 18 points and 20 rebounds, leaving Whiteside frustrated. It also did not help that Wade went 1-of-9, recording one of the worst games in his career.

If Miami can figure out a better way to contain Drummond, they should be in the clear. But of course, they also need to bring their a-game in terms of shooting.

As a delightful Christmas present to Heat Nation, the New Orleans Pelicans will be in Miami on Friday, December 25.

It is true that the Heat lost twice last year to the Pelicans, but this time around will hopefully prove to be a different story. Currently 5-16, New Orleans is having a dry-spell. And hopefully that will keep up, despite Kendrick Perkins getting ready to come back from injury.

Last but not least, Miami will take on state-rival Orlando Magic, on Saturday, December 26.

Although they do have to play the day after Christmas, at least the Heat only have to travel a short distance to take on their last “new” opponent of this calendar year.

And, there is more good news. Last season, Miami won three out of the four matchups.

But this will still be a great game. For starters, Victor Oladipo is the real deal. Offensively, the guard knows what he is doing but defensively, he is unstoppable. He ranks third in his position in blocks, and holds his opponents to 36 percent shooting. Wade will have to continue drinking from the fountain of youth he has obviously found, and inspire his teammates to be as spot on as well.

Both teams are deep, and play extremely unselfishly. But luckily, the Heat do also have a handful of veteran superstars that can outshine the rest of the squad if needed. The Magic tend not to rely on one (or a handful) of guys, but rather spread responsibilities out evenly.