An attempted fourth quarter rally and another All-Star caliber performance from Tyler Herro weren’t enough for the Miami Heat (15-14) in a 120-110 matinee loss to the Atlanta Hawks (17-15).
Here are four major takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Hawks hold off Heat when it matters most
Heat fans had reason for excitement and optimism when Herro and the Heat pulled within 108-107 late in the fourth quarter. That didn’t stop the Hawks from outscoring the Heat 12-2 over the final 3:28.
Then again, should Heat fans really have been surprised the game ended how it did? Atlanta outscored Miami 35-26 in the first quarter and notched a 10-point win at home despite Trae Young only scoring eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. Young made up for the poor shooting performance with 15 assists.
Miami wasted a 28-point, 10-assist, seven-rebound outing from Herro.
Heat’s road struggles continue
A 6-9 road record near the end of December isn’t pretty, and some of those losses have been flat-out ugly. Remember the 123-121 loss to Detroit in mid-November when Erik Spoelstra called a timeout he didn’t have? How about the 119-116 loss to a lowly Raptors team earlier this month?
If the Heat intend on making the playoffs, they need to finish winnable road games. It’s one thing to come close. It’s another to fall short.
Spoelstra rides with starters
Heat fans have critiqued Spoelstra’s lineups and rotations throughout the team’s inconsistent start. Spoelstra stuck with his starters for most of the game, with all but Jaime Jaquez Jr. playing at least 36 minutes each Saturday.
Only Duncan Robinson (+10) finished with a positive plus-minus among Heat starters. We’ll see what lineups Spoelstra experiments with Sunday night in Houston.
Is Jimmy Butler trade drama wearing on Heat?
The easy answer here is no, seeing as Miami won two straight before Saturday’s defeat. However, the Heat have nonetheless lost four of six, and Butler won’t return until Jan. 1 at the earliest as he works through reconditioning.
(Whether or not that’s code for “hold out” is up to you, though Five Reasons Sports reported Saturday the illness is real.)
Heat president Pat Riley admitted this week the saga has become a distraction. It can’t be easy on players—most (if not all) of whom are focused on their own play and reaching the postseason—constantly being asked about trade reports and whether or not Butler will finish the season in Miami.
Not even Riley’s statement appears enough to put out the fire. That’s not ideal for a Heat team still trying to find their identity ahead of the new year—and a few weeks ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
