Injuries, inefficient offense derailing Heat

Injuries and inefficient offense continue to be the Miami Heat’s biggest issues this season.

The Heat entered Thursday with the fifth most missed games in the NBA this season because of injuries at 269 games, according to Spotrac’s injury tracker. The only teams with more missed games because of injuries this season are the Memphis Grizzlies (526), Portland Trail Blazers (324), Charlotte Hornets (300) and Atlanta Hawks (295). The Heat is the only team in that bottom five with a winning record this season.

The Heat also entered Thursday with the NBA’s 21st-ranked offensive rating. The Heat is one of only two teams with a bottom-10 offensive rating that also holds a winning record this season, along with the Orlando Magic.

Both were again issues in Wednesday night’s 111-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks

at Kaseya Center, as the Heat remains on the unfortunate track to be in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the second straight season.

While missing three rotation players in the loss — Josh Richardson (seasonending right shoulder surgery), Duncan Robinson (left facet syndrome), Terry Rozier (neck spasms) — the Heat scored fewer than

100 points in a game for the 18th time this season, and is is 2-16 in those games.

Only the struggling Hornets (28 such games), Trail Blazers (22) and Grizzlies (22) have been held to fewer than 100 points in more games than the Heat.

Heat guard Tyler Herro, who has missed 40 games this season, believes the injury problem is a driving force behind the team’s offensive issues.

“Ultimately, we have to figure out a way that we can try to play somewhat the same identity on the offensive end game to game,” Herro said, with the Heat closing the regular season with back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors on Friday (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) and Sunday (1 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) at Kaseya Center. “I feel like right now, it’s kind of just changing game to game and it doesn’t help that we don’t have all of our guys. I’m obviously a big part of that. I was out for two months almost. It’s not easy for us and it definitely isn’t easy on our coaching staff because half the time they don’t even know who’s playing.”

With more opposing defenses packing the paint against the Heat and sending extra defenders at Miami’s leading duo of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, it has left Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and players searching for answers.

Adebayo and Butler combined for just 20 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks. They also combined to shoot 4 of 11 (36.4 percent) from inside the paint.

“It takes everybody connected, working together to be able to do that,” Spoelstra

said of solving paintpacking defenses. “They’re not as easy of reads as they were at the beginning of the year and you can’t expect them to be. But there has to be intention. Every single possession, there has to be intention, there has to be a motor, there has to be things done with pace and detail and then moving the ball.

“It’s gotten a little sticky of late, where I think the competitive nature of our group, guys really want to will it and we’re holding it a little bit longer than what is appropriate for our team and we’re missing some moments. But we’re going to fix that. We’ll get this right.”

Butler’s finishing around the rim has been especially concerning recently. In the past five games, he has shot just 12 of 27 (44.4 percent) from within the restricted area and had five of those 27 shots (18.5 percent) blocked.

During last season’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, Butler shot 83 of 139 (59.7 percent) from within the restricted area and had 13 of those 139 shots (9.4 percent) blocked in 22 games.

“We all understand how important it is to get Jimmy going,” Spoelstra said.

“Our team understands, Jimmy understands it, the head coach understands it.”

But as players continue to move in and out of the rotation because of injuries, the Heat’s challenge is to find a consistent offensive formula that works despite constant changes in available personnel.

“There are a lot of moving parts, so there’s no way we can get to an identity if we don’t have our team,” Herro said.

INJURY UPDATE

The Heat will remain without Richardson (shoulder) and Robinson (back) for Friday’s game. Rozier (neck) is listed as questionable. The rest of the roster is expected to be available.

Anthony Chiang: 305-376-4991, @Anthony_Chiang

to close the regular season at No. 7 to host that play-in game:

The Heat needs to win its two final regular-season games, while the 76ers loses at least one of their two final games. In this scenario, the Heat and 76ers (if they drop one of their final two games) would both finish with 36 losses. But the Heat would finish as the East’s No. 7 seed ahead of the No. 8 76ers because it would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of having a better conference record than Philadelphia. The Heat would host the 76ers in the East’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game. In this scenario, the Magic would win one of its final two games to stay in the top six.

The Heat needs to win its final two games, while the Magic drops its final two games. In this scenario, the Heat and Magic would both close the regular season with 36 losses. But the Heat would finish as the division winner and the East’s No. 7 seed based on holding the head-tohead tiebreaker over the Magic. The Heat would host the Magic in the

East’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 playin game. In this scenario, the 76ers would win their final two games and Pacers would win at least one of their final two games to finish in the top six.

The Heat will spend the final few days of the regular season doing what it can, while hoping for some help from others, to avoid the play-in tournament. The Heat will also spend the final weekend of the regular season trying to build some momentum after hitting another rough patch.

Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks dropped the Heat to 17-27 this season against teams currently with winning records. The Heat has dropped four of its past five games against such teams.

“Sometimes this league can just really humble you and that’s what happened tonight,” Spoelstra said after falling to the Mavericks. “So we’re going to regroup. We’ve had to do

For summaries and results go to the eEdition at MiamiHerald.com.

Atlantic

y-Boston New York Philadelphia Brooklyn Toronto Southeast

Orlando Miami p-Atlanta Charlotte Washington Central

x-Milwaukee Cleveland Indiana p-Chicago Detroit

Southwest

x-Dallas

New Orleans Houston Memphis San Antonio Northwest

x-Denver x-Minnesota x-Oklahoma City Utah

Portland

Pacific

y-L.A. Clippers Phoenix Sacramento L.A. Lakers Golden State

56 56 55 29 21 W

51 47 45 45 44

24 25 25 50 58

L

29 33 34 35 35

.700 — .688 1 .688 1 .367 26.5 .266 34.5 Pct GB

.638 .588 .570 .563 .557

p-clinched play-in spot; x-clinched spot; y-clinched division

FRIDAY

Orlando at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m. Charlotte at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Indiana at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. Brooklyn at New York, 7:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. Denver at San Antonio, 8 p.m. Toronto at Miami, 8 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Memphis, 8 p.m. Atlanta at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Detroit at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Golden State, 10 p.m. Houston at Portland, 10 p.m.

Utah at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. Phoenix at Sacramento, 10:30 p.m.

THURSDAY

Chicago at Detroit, 7

New York at Boston, 7:30

Houston at Utah, 9

Golden State at Portland, 10

New Orleans at Sacramento, 10

WEDNESDAY

Cleveland 110, Memphis 98

Charlotte 115, Atlanta 114

Brooklyn 106, Toronto 102

Dallas 111, Miami 92

Milwaukee 117, Orlando 99

Oklahoma City 127, San Antonio 89 Denver 116, Minnesota 107

Phoenix 124, L.A. Clippers 108

Dallas Min FG-A FT-A R A F Pt Jones Jr 25:46 5-12 1-2 2 0 3 12 Washington 34:43 5-11 0-1 6 2 1 12 Gafford 25:43 6-6 0-0 5 3 0 12 Doncic 35:59 9-23 7-8 9 9 4 29 Irving 37:0410-15 0-0 3 4 2 25 Exum 18:34 1-2 0-0 320 3 Jo.Green 13:45 1-5 0-0 422 3 Hardaway Jr 18:21 2-8 0-0 210 5 Hardy 1:57 0-1 0-0 111 0 Kleber 20:20 1-1 2-2 210 4 Lawson 1:57 0-0 0-0 210 0 Ma.Morris 1:57 0-0 0-0 000 0 Prosper 1:57 2-2 0-0 000 4 B.Williams 1:57 1-1 0-0 010 2

Totals 240:0043-8710-13392713111

Percentages: FG .494, FT .769.3-Point

Goals: 15-44, .341 (Irving 5-8, Doncic 4-15, Washington 2-6, Exum 1-1, Jo.Green 1-3, Jones Jr 1-5, Hardaway Jr 1-6).Team Rebounds: 4.Team Turnovers: 7.Blocked

Shots: 8 (Gafford 3, Jones Jr 2, Kleber 2, Washington).Turnovers: 7 (Doncic 3, Hardaway Jr, Hardy, Irving, Washington)

.Steals: 8 (Irving 2, Jones Jr 2, Washington 2, Gafford, Jo.Green).

Miami Min FG-A FT-A R A FPt Ji.Butler 35:50 5-8 0-0 4 3 012 Jovic 23:41 3-9 0-0 5436 Adebayo 29:41 3-13 2-2 3028 Herro 35:40 6-15 7-7 7 6 021 Ca.Martin 38:17 5-14 2-2 4 6 314 Cain 1:08 0-0 0-0 0000 Highsmith 24:22 1-3 0-0 10 1 2 2 Jaquez Jr 18:22 2-4 0-0 2116 Love 18:18 6-9 0-0 11 0 316 Mills 11:17 2-4 2-2 0027 O.Robinson 1:08 0-0 0-0 0000 Swider 1:08 0-1 0-0 0100 A.Williams 1:08 0-1 0-0 0000

Totals 240:00 33-81 13-13 46 22 16 92

Percentages: FG .407, FT 1.000.3-Point

Goals: 13-30, .433 (Love 4-5, Jaquez Jr 2-2, Ji.Butler 2-3, Ca.Martin 2-4, Herro 2-5, Mills 1-3, Highsmith 0-1, Swider 0-1, Adebayo 0-2, Jovic 0-4).Team Rebounds: 6.Team Turnovers: 18.Blocked Shots: 1 (Ca.Martin).Turnovers: 15 (Ji.Butler 5, Herro 4, Love 2, Ca.Martin 2, Jaquez Jr, Jovic).Steals: 3 (Ji.Butler 2, Ca.Martin).

Dallas

Miami

Att.—19,660

— 4 5.5 6 6.5

playoff

33 36 19 23 — 111 24 23 27 18 — 92 (19,600).T—2:11.