2 Negatives, 2 Positives from the Heat’s loss to the Bucks

The Miami Heat suffered their third consecutive road defeat on Monday with a bitterly disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Imagine being told at the beginning of July that all-star point guard Damian Lillard would proceed to register 25 points in a resounding victory over the Heat just a few months later. Inconceivably, that is the current reality of an organization whose honeymoon period over the summer post-season already feels like a distant memory.

A hip injury to the indispensable Bam Adebayo would always prove to be fatal for the Heat tonight, particularly in this matchup. Such were the woes on both ends of the floor so deeply concerning at Fiserv Forum, Miami’s troubles cannot be oversimplified to primarily being the consequence of their big man’s absence.

Demolished in the paint

The recent playoff success against the men from Brew City, from a defensive perspective, was largely achieved through the Heat’s ability to force Milwaukee into shooting from outside the arc by dominating the area around the basket. That wasn’t the case Monday, nor has it been this season.

Pistons duo Isiah Stewart and Jalen Duren highlighted the frailty in this area of the Heat’s game last Wednesday as they gathered an astonishing 28 combined rebounds, as did the likes of Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid when the Timberwolves seized the Heat’s interior with ease.

Giannis may not have many easier games than that this season. The Greek Freak regularly found himself at the basket as he and Brook Lopez unsurprisingly dominated the offensive glass. A clear mismatch was spotlighted within the game’s opening possessions when Antetokounmpo drove into the isolated 6-foot Kyle Lowry for the and-one opportunity.

Of course, the roster is depleting at an alarming rate (Adebayo, Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith all missed Monday’s loss) and there is at least 80 more games in the season for Erik Spoelstra and co to find the necessary solutions. Still, early season indicators imply that only a limited amount of effort is required to overcome the Heat’s interior defense.

Just last season, Miami boasted the NBA’s strongest paint defense as they gave up an average of a measly 46 points per game in that department. If anything, it’s a statistic that underlines Bam Adebayo’s position as one of the league’s premier defenders and his importance to the Heat’s system.