Wade sees reasons for hope in season of mixed results

MIAMI — The perspectives are mixed for the Miami Heat at the turn of the calendar.

There is a losing record (17-18) overall and an even worse record (8-11) at home, losses in two of the past three games, but also a 9-5 December to build off.

“I just know that we made strides in this month,” guard Dwyane Wade said, with the Heat off until Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. “And obviously ending the month on a loss, you can let that take away from the success of this month. But we’re making strides.

“And we want to make sure in the new year we understand how we can play, how good we can be when we are on top of our game. And we just try to continue to keep going.”

The Heat closed the 2018 portion of their schedule eighth in the NBA in defensive rating, but 22nd in offensive rating,

That made Sunday’s 113-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves somewhat of a microcosm of these first 35 games — offense uneven and defense good when great was needed.

“It’s tough,” Wade said after the Heat closed at .411 from the field. “It’s tough to win those games, especially when our defense isn’t as great as it’s been, when we can continue to stop a team and keep ’em under 100 points, which you’re not going to do every night.

“So those nights, you need guys to kind of fill it up. But it happens in this league.”

That will make the choices going forward somewhat intriguing.

Dion Waiters appears poised for his season debut after working his way back from last January’s ankle surgery, and Wayne Ellington remains ready and available despite being held out of the past three games and five of the last seven. Both could add scoring, but potentially at the cost of sitting a defender such as Rodney McGruder.

Even with Waiters posting a social-media video claiming he was cleared for a return in Sunday’s game, coach Erik Spoelstra said the only clearance to this point has been a return to contact work during practice.

“We don’t have an update,” Spoelstra said. “He’s been putting in great work. He basically told me that same thing last year, before the playoffs. But he’s making great progress. He’s been doing full contact work now for at least two or three weeks.”

Bosh’s presence: Former Heat forward Chris Bosh was in the stands Sunday for a second consecutive game and again spent time afterward in the locker room offering encouragement and playing tips.

Bosh has been out of the NBA since Feb. 9, 2016 following a recurrence of blood clots, reaching a contract settlement with the Heat that precluded a return to the team.

He spoke on Fox Sports Sun about the recent breakout of former Heat teammate Justise Winslow, whose Sunday stat line included 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, with Winslow emerging as a prime ballhandler in the wake of

Goran Dragic‘s knee surgery.

This was always the vision that I had for him after watching him at Duke at such a young age be a perimeter ballhandler,” Bosh said. “My favorite was when he was in the open court. And I figured that’s what he would bring to this organization eventually. And I think now it’s just him learning and getting more comfortable in the league and growing up and getting more chin hairs.”

Bosh joked that Winslow, 22, has morphed into a unique hybrid.

“He’s one of those mutant babies,” he quipped. “He probably fell in a pool of what the X-Men fell in, that green goo or whatever.”