Heat has dreadful shooting night, falls to Pelicans. Takeaways from another home loss
Five takeaways from the Heat’s 111-88 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Kaseya Center:
▪ The Heat sprinted to an early 17-7 lead. Everything went downhill from there, due in large part to wretched Heat three-point shooting and sizzling Pelicans three-point shooting. New Orleans broke a seven-game losing streak against Miami and won in South Florida for the first time since 2017.
The Pelicans frazzled the Heat with zone defense and quick close outs, and Miami kept shooting blanks, closing at 27.7 percent on threes (13 for 47) and a season-worst 36 percent overall from the field.
At one point, the Heat was 2 for 20 on threes, and 0 for 17 if you counted everyone on the team except Nikola Jovic.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans -- playing without injured 21-point-per-game scorer Brandon Ingram -- shot 50 percent on threes (18 for 36) and were quick and alert defensively.
“We’re just a better team,” the Pelicans organization tweeted afterward, mocking Jimmy Butler for saying precisely that after Miami beat New Orleans last month and then assuring that the Heat would win again on Friday.
Butler stood by his remark after Friday’s game: “I hope [my comment last month] added fuel to the fire. That’s fine. I’m going to stick with what I said. We’re the better team.”
After the Heat took that early 10-point lead, New Orleans erupted on a 28-7 run and led 46-42 at the half. Miami went to the break shooting 5 for 26 on threes and very much missing injured Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro and fellow floor spacer Kevin Love.
From there, the Pelicans began the third on an 18-5 run, led 76-66 after three and stretched the margin to 20 early in the fourth quarter.
“They went to the zone; that definitely flattened us out,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We had some good looks. They were packing the paint and staying in the zone. At some point, they quadrupled down on protecting the paint and daring us to shoot. We do have to take those when they’re available. At the same time, there are opportunities to move our bodies more, run more, attack the paint more.”
Butler did what he could against the Pelicans’ zone and quick close outs and the long arms of Herb Jones, finishing with 17 points and five assists on 5 for 12 shooting.
But there wasn’t nearly enough support.
Caleb Martin shot 0 for 6 on threes in the first half and finished 0 for 8 from the field.
Patty Mills shot 0 for 4 on threes and is now 3 for his last 31 on threes.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. shot 1 for 7.
It didn’t help that Bam Adebayo didn’t even take a shot in the third quarter and went to the fourth with just six points on 2 for 5 shooting, before closing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Terry Rozier scored just 13 on a night more was needed.
New Orleans outrebounded the Heat, 56-34.
In one sequence, the Heat messed up a 4-on-1 break on one end, and CJ McCollum -- who scored 30 -- then banked in a three-pointer on the other end.
Miami (38-32) entered as the league’s fourth lowest scoring team and mustered just 20, 22, 24 and 22 points in each quarter.
“We got stagnant,” Butler said. “We’ve got to be better at attacking” a zone.
▪ The Heat used its 34th different starting lineup, extending its franchise record. But there wasn’t nearly enough from the backcourt or Adebayo.
The latest starting quintet - Butler, Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Mills and Rozier - sprinted to a 17-7 lead. The bench couldn’t hold it; the Pelicans ended the quarter on a 14-2 run to lead 21-20 after one.
The starting group began the third quarter poorly; after a Butler three-point play to begin the second half, New Orleans unleashed an 11-0 run capped by a Zion Williamson dunk. The run stretched to 18-5 before Spoelstra made substitutions.
Jovic did his part early, scoring 10 in the first half, but struggled to start the third quarter.
Butler didn’t hit a shot from the field until driving for a basket with 5:12 left in the second quarter, on his third attempt of the game. He eventually got untracked a bit, but Herb Jones and others - coupled with the Pelicans’ zone - made it difficult for him all night.
Mills again struggled as a starter, scoring four and finishing 2 for 7 from the field in 12 minutes.
Rozier went 5 for 14 on a night the Heat needed the high-scoring Charlotte version of Rozier.
Adebayo made two of three three-pointers, continuing to unveil his new weapon, but took only seven shots from the field in 30 minutes.
Butler said the Heat should have more diligent attacking the zone with drives and passes, instead of settling for threes.
And he bemoaned that “whenever we don’t make shots... we don’t guard [anybody], don’t hustle as we should and the game gets ugly.”
Desperate for shooting, Spoelstra inserted Cole Swider for the 12th time this season, and he hit four of his six three-pointers, finishing with 14 points in 18 minutes.
“He really played extremely well in Sioux Falls,” Spoelstra said. “He has earned these kind of opportunities, maybe more.”
After losing Thursday in Orlando, the Pelicans won easily despite Ingram’s absence and despite a quiet night from Williamson, who scored just four points, on 2 for 7 shooting, in 25 minutes.
▪ There was no repeat of the altercation or “extracurricular activities” that marred the last Heat-Pelicans game – a Feb. 23 Miami win in New Orleans. But the Pelicans got some measure of retribution and mocked Butler on social media afterward.
Spoelstra predictably downplayed the matter before the game.
“It’s all behind us,” he said. “This was nothing compared to the 90s.”
That ugly incident last month began when Pelicans forward Zion Williamson fell to the court after a foul by Kevin Love, who remained out with an injury Friday.
Butler and Pelicans forward Naji Marshall then got into a shoving match and briefly grabbed each other by the neck. Heat center Thomas Bryant and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado began fighting.
Bryant, Butler, Marshall and Alvarado all were ejected. It also led to suspensions for three Heat players (Jovic, Bryant and Butler) and two Pelicans players (Marshall and Alvarado).
Butler then guaranteed Miami would win the second matchup between the team.
“We’ll beat them the next time, too,” Butler said that night. “We’re just the better team. We’re not going to say that they’re not a good team. But I don’t think this really matters. I think that when we get them on our home court, it’s going to be a different game. I hope they’re healthy and it’s going to be the same outcome.”
He didn’t back down from those comments earlier this week, but the guaranteed ultimately proved worthless.
And Marshall, after the game, retweeted Butler’s guarantee of a win with the words: “My Volume don’t work what he say ?????”
Marshall later deleted the tweet.
As it turns out, all five players who served suspensions had some good moments Friday.
Alvarado played particularly well, with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Marshall had 13 points and 7 rebounds.
The Pelicans outscored the Heat by 27 with Alvarado on the court and by 26 with Marshall on the court.
Bryant led a short-lived Heat run late in the third with two three-pointers.
▪ The Heat must play better at home to go anywhere in postseason. Friday was another bad sign.
Miami entered just 17-15 at home, the 10th worst home record in the league and the worst among top seven seeds. Now it’s 17-16, unacceptable for a team that considers itself a contender.
What’s more, Miami began the night 1-8 against teams holding a top five seed in either conference. It’s now 1-9 after beating the Pelicans, who are fifth in the West.
Reversing that is vital; nine of Miami’s 12 remaining games are at home.
“We have not been good enough,” Spoelstra said before the game of Miami’s play at home. “We all know that. We’re aware of it. We can’t go back and change the games we’ve lost here. We would love to show out better in front of our fans.”
The Heat has two more home losses than it had all of last season; its 17 home wins are fewest among top-nine seeds in each conference.
Conversely, Miami is 21-16 on the road and is tied with Cleveland for the second most road wins in the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t think anyone is scared to play us” home or away, Butler said.
▪ Robinson hopes to be back soon from a back injury.
Robinson missed his second game in a row with what has been diagnosed as left facet syndrome. But the scan on Robinson’s back provided relief that it’s nothing particularly serious.
“Definitely [getting] better, significantly better than Monday,” he said Friday evening. “It’s improving a lot.”
He wouldn’t rule playing Sunday at home against Cleveland, but it sounds like his absence might be longer.
“Thankful it’s not too serious,” he said. “Big thing is making sure [to] calm it down. It’s flared up right now. I’m trying to play as soon as I possibly can. Itching to be back out there. As soon as get the clear and OK, I’ll be back out there. Taking a couple days helps a lot. The recovery and treatment has helped as well as other things.
Asked about Sunday’s game, he said: “I wouldn’t count out anything. I want to play as soon as I possibly can. I don’t know when for sure that will be.”
But he quickly added: “You want to be smart about it. I understand down the stretch there is going to be some managing of it from a pain perspective, which I’m ready to embrace, but you don’t want to rush back to where it just flares up to where it starts [process] from day one.”
After sustaining the injury against Philadelphia on Monday, Robinson flew home to see a back specialist. Tests revealed nothing serious.
“There’s always concern,” he said. “You never know when you get an image on something. It was positive news, all things considered.”
He had he hasn’t had back problems since he was a teenager:
“I had something in high school. I was growing so fast. it was more of a puberty issue. I’ve been pretty fortunate.”
Meanwhile, Herro missed his 14th game in a row with a foot injury and Love missed his 12th in a row with a heel injury. The hope is that Herro will return before the end of the regular season on April 14.
How much is the Heat missing Herro, Robinson and Love?
“A lot,” Adebayo said.
