The Miami Heat suffered their third straight loss on Sunday with a 110-108 defeat to the worst statistical team in the NBA, the Washington Wizards. Just as the Heat were finding momentum in the season, they’ve hit another roadblock. The Heat were tested on both ends of the floor and their inability to knock down shots from beyond the arc haunted them in the end.
Washington held the lead advantage for much of the first quarter. They dared Miami to play a physical game right off the tip and the Heat accepted that challenge. Miami finished the game scoring 62 of its 108 points in the painted area. It looked like it was going to be a dogfight that got settled under the rim, but the Wizards reverted to their three-point shooting in the second half.
Miami ended the night shooting 30.3% from distance, punching in just 10 triples. The Wizards made 11 of their 16 shots from three in the second half. They turned the matchup into an old-school versus new-school battle.
“They made theirs down the stretch. A lot of that happened in the two previous games as well. We missed some shots, they made theirs,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “They did get into a comfortable rhythm down the stretch. They were getting into their game a little bit too much, in my opinion.”
Nearly every player in the Heat’s rotation had a rough shooting night. Duncan Robinson shot 4 of 13 from beyond the arc. Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier combined to shoot 0 for 7 from three, and the Heat’s bench hit 11 of their 23 field goal attempts. The ball movement wasn't inspiring.
The Heat didn’t have a single player notch more than four assists on the night and finished with 20 as a team, while Washington totaled 35 assists. Tyus Jones had 16 of his own for the Wizards. Miami’s offense was extremely troubling. It couldn’t find a lead man like Jones to take over the offense and facilitate down the stretch.
Spoelstra and Miami pride themselves on their defense. They attempted to play their own style of basketball in the second half, pushing their way into the paint, but foul trouble hurt the Heat’s chances to claw back to victory. Miami’s starting lineup combined for 13 fouls, much of which occurred later in the game, leading to bonus opportunities for Washington.
"Just got to sustain the right level of play, man. We got to have a way that we want to play and we got to go out there and do it to a tee,” said Terry Rozier. “We understand in this league it’s the best players in the world, but if we got a plan and we can execute it, we’re tough to beat. These last couple of games we get away from our identity of who we are.”
The Heat will stay grounded in South Florida for their next matchup on Wednesday against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. It's an NBA Finals rematch but also another important chance to gain ground in the East standings. Rozier spoke on the Heat losing their identity at times. This may have been fine early in the season, but the clock is ticking.