Banged up Miami Heat obliterated by Cavaliers, 87-113

Sunday night was just one of those nights for the Miami Heat. Nights like those happen in a long season is the way the old adage typically goes.

Now, perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise being that the Miami Heat just pushed themselves to the brink of the proverbial edge in their last contest Friday.

Needing to go the distance into overtime and with only seven players able to go, though they needed to dress Gabe Vincent to have the needed eight to prevent a forced forfeit per league rules, a gasless Miami Heat squad could have been a fair expectation. But, it could have also been fair to go the other way.

With the return of a few key guys, including Bam Adebayo, the Miami Heat should have, at least, been more competitive in the game. And they were—for about a quarter.

Taking a, 27-28, deficit into the second period, it was in that quarter that things totally unraveled for this Miami Heat squad on Sunday. By the half, the Miami Heat were down 17 points, 59-42, and shooting terribly from three, their only hope of winning this game.

The shorthanded Miami Heat were obliterated Sunday by the blazing-hot Cavaliers. With another game Monday, they’ll need to let this one go fast.

Carrying a 2/15 tally into the half, they wouldn’t get much better throughout the game, only finishing 6/31 from long-range territory. That would have been their only way to win this game without Tyer Herro and Jimmy Butler going, which they, obviously, weren’t able to do.

Now, with Minnesota on the schedule for Monday night, it presents another interesting question. Will the Miami Heat be able to shake off the bad vibes of such a devastating defeat to give a better showing against the Timberwolves?

They still won’t have the two aforementioned guys in the lineup, while matchups with Minnesota are always heated in the last few seasons. Nonetheless and again, this is another game on the road for the Miami Heat, seeing them head back into hostile territory on top of all else that’s bothering them at the moment.

There’s also this. Duncan Robinson went down late in Sunday’s defeat.

It’s not that he’s been all-world this season but for a depleted team and one that has to rely so heavily on the long ball to win right now, losing him hurts, specifically to that notion and for the overall depth of the team.

The Miami Heat face an uphill battle but this should allow them to get better. You sure hope so, because in just a few more games or so, “it’s still early” won’t be as viable of a notion.