3-for-all not always an easy answer for Heat
LOS ANGELES — The lesson for the Miami Heat from Wednesday night’s 123-119 loss to the Sacramento Kings is that there is no easy way out.
In shooting 18 of 43 on 3-pointers, the Heat established a franchise record for attempts from beyond the arc, eclipsing the 42 the Heat attempted in a Jan. 5 overtime victory over the New York Knicks. Entering the season, the Heat had attempted 40 or more 3-pointers in a game just four times over the franchise’s first 29 years.
In addition, in shooting 6 of 17 from beyond the arc, guard Wayne Ellington set a franchise record for attempts. The franchise single-game record entering the season was 15 by Brian Shaw against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1993.
The preference for the long ball left the Heat outscored 68-40 in the paint by the Kings.
Part of the problem against the Kings was mostly playing from behind, down by as many as 16 points before rallying into the lead in the fourth quarter.
“We got it to a lead. We got up 10, 12,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of his team’s start, “and they just came storming back and they took control for the better part of the next 2 1⁄2 quarters.”
The loss left the Heat aware that there are no easy ways out, particularly on the road.
“We know the type of team that we’re capable of being,” forward Justise Winslow said, with the Heat turning their attention to Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the final stop on this threegame trio. “Just being able to come back from 13, 15 down in the fourth shows you what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to find out a way to have urgency from the jump.”
Out again
Make it 0-for-the West Coast for Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade, with Josh Richardson possibly to be limited to his one-game cameo appearance.
The Heat’s injury report for tonight’s game lists Whiteside and Wade as out. Whiteside has missed the past three games with what the Heat list as “left hip pain.” Wade has missed the past two games with what is listed as a “mild left hamstring strain.”
In addition, Richardson, who sat out Wednesday’s loss, his first absence of the season, is listed as doubtful with what the team is listing as “left foot soreness.”
Official view
For the second time in eight days, the NBA acknowledged Thursday that its referees could not count to five in a game involving the Heat.
The league, in its postgame officiating report, also said that the Heat’s critical 24-second violation late in regulation in Wednesday night’s loss should actually have resulted in a foul on Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox.
Such a whistle would have sent Heat point guard Goran Dragic to the foul line with 10.5 seconds remaining in regulation and the Heat up 110-109.
Instead, the Heat were called for a 24-second violation with 9.3 seconds to play in regulation, with the Kings then able to force overtime.
The league also said that immediately after that Heat 24-second violation that Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic should have been called for a five-second inbounding violation, which would have returned possession to the Heat.
The league cited those two plays as the only incorrect calls of the final two minutes of regulation and the entire five-minute overtime period.
Last week, in an overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, the Heat were victimized by a similar officiating error cited the following day by the league, of an uncalled five-second violation that would have given the Heat a critical late possession.
The NBA officiating reports are issued for informational purposes, with no recourse allowed for the teams adversely impacted.