The Miami Heat fell to seventh in the Eastern Conference, after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Miami Heat started the night on fire (no pun intended), but that flame was quickly extinguished by an incoming Oklahoma City Thunder-storm.
(I’ll be here all night. Maybe not.)
A game that started out as well as any Heat fan could dream of, ultimately ended up becoming a nightmare. The Heat started the game on a strong 23-5 run, only to then watch the Thunder lap them in the end, winning the game 115-93.
Josh Richardson led the Heat with 18 points, while Hassan Whiteside added 16 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Tyler Johnson and Justise Winslow each finished with 12 points.
For Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook finished with another triple double, racking up 23 points, a season-high 18 rebounds, and 13 assists. Paul George led all scorers with 27. Jerami Grant added 17 points and five rebounds off the bench.
After being down by 18 in the first quarter, the Thunder caught their rhythm, and the Heat pretty much entirely let go of the rope. Westbrook and George took the game by the throat and the Heat had no response.
This was a bad loss, regardless of how good of an opponent the Thunder were.
The Thunder took the Heat’s initial punch in the mouth and countered with four of their own. The Heat didn’t attack enough, (as evidenced by 14 free throw attempts) and couldn’t find the shooting stroke from long range (going 5-for-22 from 3). The Thunder outscored the Heat by 50 in those two areas, and that pretty much summed up the game.
Although the last two losses (at New York and at home tonight) were about as bad as one could imagine, there are some positives to take away from it. While the Heat switch spots with the Milwaukee Bucks to drop to seventh in the Eastern Conference, they still project for a first-round playoff meeting with the banged up Boston Celtics.
Otherwise, if they were to stay in sixth, they would be slated to face off against the currently-hot Philadelphia 76ers, who overtook the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place last week.
Next: The Miami Heat Tip Off, Week Eight: Now or Never
The Heat’s final game of the regular 2017-18 season is Wednesday night, as they host the Toronto Raptors. That game is scheduled for 8 PM.