The Miami Heat came into their Monday night matchup with Minnesota off the back of a devastating defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. Being blown out in that one, they should have been motivated coming into the Twin City, though fatigue could have been a factor as well due to the game on Sunday.
But it wasn’t, as the Miami Heat got out to a good start, matching the Timberwolves’ offensive potency and even surpassing it, 33-30. Now, this was all without a few key guys going like Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent, and even Duncan Robinson when you take into account all of their injuries.
Now, those veteran pieces will come back into the fold though when it comes to the story of this game, so keep that in mind. The Miami Heat, whether it be them or something on Minnesota’s front, were able to hold the T’Wolves to 3/25 from range in the first half.
That would, in large part, allow the Miami Heat to take a 13-point lead into the half, 60-47. But in the second half, the Timberwolves would make just enough shots from range to get the job done, largely fueled by the efforts of Anthony Edwards.
The Miami Heat couldn’t pull out a win Monday on the road in Minnesota. Though they put up a great effort, they just didn’t have enough to close the deal.
While the Minnesota offensive prowess increasing certainly heavily contributed to this Heat defeat, their own offensive ineptitude in that third period mightily contributed to allowing them back into the game as well.
All of it, the offensive stagnancy, the defensive lapses that allowed them to close the gap, and the late-game kerfuffles that wouldn’t allow them to fully take the game back after scrapping back into closing position late—can really be linked back to one thing.
Remember that bit about the key guys the Miami Heat were missing? It’s not that they can’t win without those guys, as they always “have enough”, however, your margins for error severely shrink when you don’t have the guys they don’t have.
They have to be nearly flawless to get these kinds of wins, nonetheless, when you consider the fact that they have had to depend mightily on the youngest of youngest guys over the past few games.
You think back to the Orlando Robinson fumble that cost them a possession and a bucket, more than likely, late in Washington, while you look at some of the moments, such as Jamal Cain’s late game miss on a bunny from this defeat—these are guys who have to learn on the fly and how to come through in those moments.
They’ll have to learn, but not coming through is the cost of that sometimes. And on the other side, if you had the guys you expect to have there late on most regular occasions, your Herros or your Jimmy Butlers, then they convert on some of those moments.
It happens, just like injury in any long sports season, and this is the product. The Miami Heat will, surely, keep working, hoping to get a win Wednesday as they welcome the Wizards into South Florida for some payback.