Just how rare have blowout wins been for Heat this season? And Kevin Love describes the pain

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t believe the scoreboard late in Wednesday night’s win against the Memphis Grizzlies, and for good reason.

The Heat has been playing close games at a historic pace, as it has already been involved in a league-leading 50 clutch games (one that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter) and tied the single-season NBA record for the most wins by five points or less with 24 such victories this season.

So when the Heat entered Wednesday’s fourth quarter with a 28-point lead over the Grizzlies, Spoelstra was a bit confused.

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“I literally had to look at the scoreboard probably 10 times during that fourth quarter, like is my math right?” Spoelstra said. “And I say that out of respect. So Memphis, don’t take that the wrong way. We just haven’t had many of these this year.”

That 28-point advantage marked the Heat’s biggest lead through three quarters since last season, when it entered the fourth quarter of a Dec. 21, 2021 win over the Indiana Pacers ahead by 29 points.

The Heat ended up defeating the Grizzlies 138-119 at Miami-Dade Arena — a 19-point margin that represents Miami’s third-most lopsided win of the season.

Wednesday also marked the Heat’s eighth double-digit win of the season and first double-digit win in almost two months since a 26-point victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans on Jan. 18. Miami closed last season with 31 double-digit victories.

“It does feel good to have one of these kind of games where a lot of guys played well, scoreboard is what it is and you can walk out of this building tonight feeling a little bit different,” Spoelstra said.

Unless two more double-digit victories come in the final 11 regular-season games, this would mark just the fourth regular season in the Heat’s 35-year history that it closes with fewer than 10 double-digit wins. In each of the first three seasons this happened, Miami finished with a losing overall record.

But because the Heat (38-33) is an impressive 28-22 record in clutch games and 24-15 in games decided by five points or less this season, it’s on track to finish with fewer than 10 double-digit wins and still close with a winning overall record for the first time in franchise history.

“It felt amazing,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said following Wednesday’s rout of the Grizzlies. “Just to sit on the bench in the fourth quarter, there’s been like maybe once or twice all season where the starters were able to sit in the fourth quarter. It’s what happens when you take care of business early on in the game and you just come out ready to play.”

LOVE’S REACTION

While trying to hedge out on Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane after a screen in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game, Heat forward Kevin Love took a shoot that he won’t soon forget.

As he ran through Love, Bane delivered a clear blow to Love’s groin with his arm. Love spent the next few minutes down on the court writhing in pain.

Upon review, Bane was ejected after it was ruled a Flagrant 2 foul.

“There’s only been a few times in my almost 15 years where something like that has happened and Bane is a big boy,” Love said. “I tried to hedge out, show on a screen. I don’t know if he was looking for the foul or what it was, but I just got put in a bad position and took it in the groin pretty good. All the men here, you’ve been hit hard enough to where your back starts hurting. That’s where I was. I was starting to spasm a little bit.”

Love posted a photo on his Instagram account of the exact moment he took the shot from Bane, joking that it should be considered a piece of art by tagging The Museum of Modern Art.