The Miami Heat looked like a team on the second night of a back-to-back in a different city Wednesday night, as they were destroyed by the New York Knicks, 115-86.
The Miami Heat (10-11) went into a winnable game in New York, a night after taking a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and looked like their games were left there.
Collectively, the Heat managed to shoot just 38 percent from the field, 26 percent from three, and 60 percent from the free throw line. Worse yet, they allowed the Knicks to shoot 60 percent from the field themselves. An offensive display that poor, coupled with a disastrous effort defensively, is the perfect recipe for a 29-point loss.
Hassan Whiteside missed this game with knee soreness, after playing just 18 minutes in Cleveland, and the Heat surely missed his presence. In addition to allowing the Knicks to shoot 60 percent from the field, the Heat were also dominated in the paint and on the glass, losing that battle 52-31. Enes Kanter finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Rookie fan-favorite Bam Adebayo started in Whiteside’s place and contributed nine points and five rebounds, but did not provide the impact Whiteside typically does.
Kelly Olynyk led the Heat with 18 points and five rebounds, while Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson both provided 13 points apiece. The beloved backcourt of Goran Dragic (just six points on 3-of-12 shooting) and Dion Waiters (10 points, on a mere 3-for-10 from the field) seemed out of wack from the opening tip, and unfortunately never found their rhythm thereafter.
The beauty of the regular season is that losses like this don’t typically linger, and it’s not the first the Heat have had. For example, the team took a horrible loss to the Indiana Pacers on November 19, but were able to bounce back and eventually go on a three game winning streak. So here’s hoping they’ll be able to just put the loss behind them, and move on the next one.
Maybe by way of another so-called “intense” practice?
"“I’m not sure, but we’ll just have to continue to address it and work on it,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s something that this team will overcome and the sooner the better. But we will overcome it, because we have shown that we can play much, much better basketball…”"
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The next game for the Miami Heat is Friday night at home, against the Kemba Walker-led Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 PM ET.