Dreadful shooting night dooms Heat
Four takeaways from the Heat’s 111-88 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Kaseya Center:
The Heat sprinted to an early 17-7 lead. Everything went downhill from there, due to wretched three-point shooting.
The Pelicans frazzled the Heat with zone defense and quick close outs, and Miami kept shooting blanks, closing at 27.7 percent on threes (13 for 47) and a season-worst 36 percent overall from the field.
At one point, the Heat was 2 for 20 on threes, and 0 for 17 if you counted everyone on the team except Nikola Jovic.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans — playing without injured 21-point-per-game scorer Brandon Ingram — shot 50 percent on threes (18 for 36) and were quick and alert defensively.
After the Heat took that early 10point lead, New Orleans erupted on a 28-7 run and led 46-42 at the half. Miami went to the break shooting 5 for 26 on threes and very much missing injured Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro and fellow floor spacer Kevin Love.
From there, the Pelicans began the third on an 18-5 run, led 76-66 after three and stretched the margin to 20 early in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler did what he could against the Pelicans’ zone and quick close outs and the long arms of Herb Jones, finishing with 17 points and five assists on 5 for 12 shooting.
But there wasn’t nearly enough support.
Caleb Martin shot 0 for 6 on threes in the first half and finished 0 for 8 from the field.
Patty Mills opened 0 for 4 on threes and is now 3 for his last 31 on threes.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. shot 1 for 7.
It didn’t help that Bam Adebayo didn’t even take a shot in the third quarter and went to the fourth with just six points on 2 for 5 shooting, before closing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Terry Rozier scored just 13 on a night more was needed.
New Orleans outrebounded the Heat, 56-34.
Miami (38-32) entered as the league’s fourth lowest scoring team and mustered just 20, 22, 24 and 22 points in each quarter.
The Heat used its 34th different starting lineup.
The latest starting quintet — Butler, Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Mills and Rozier — sprinted to a 17-7 lead. The bench couldn’t hold it; the Pelicans ended the quarter on a 14-2 run to lead 21-20 after one.
The starting group began the third quarter poorly; after a Butler three-point play to begin the second half, New Orleans unleashed an 11-0 run capped by a Zion Williamson dunk. The run stretched to 18-5 before Spoelstra made substitutions.
Jovic did his part early, scoring 10 in the first half, but struggled to start the third quarter.
Butler didn’t hit a shot from the field until driving for a basket with 5:12 left in the second, on his third attempt of the game. He eventually got untracked a bit, but Herb Jones and others — coupled with the Pelicans’ zone — made it difficult for him all night.
Mills again struggled as a starter, finishing 2 for 7 from the field in 12 minutes.
Rozier went 5 for 13 on a night the Heat needed the high-scoring
Charlotte version of Rozier.
Desperate for shooting, Spoelstra inserted Cole Swider for the 12th time this season, and he hit four of his six three-pointers.
There was no repeat of the altercation that marred the last Heat-Pelicans game.
Spoelstra predictably downplayed the matter before the game.
“It’s all behind us,” he said. “This was nothing compared to the 90s.”
That ugly incident last month began when Pelicans forward Zion Williamson fell to the court after a foul by Kevin Love, who remained out with an injury Friday.
Butler and Pelicans forward Naji Marshall then got into a shoving match and briefly grabbed each other by the neck. Heat center Thomas Bryant and Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado began fighting.
Bryant, Butler, Marshall and Alvarado all were ejected for the Pelicans. It also led to suspensions for three Heat players (Nikola Jovic, Thomas Bryant and Butler) and two Pelicans players (Marshall and Alvarado).
Butler then guaranteed Miami would win the second matchup between the team.
“We’ll beat them the next time, too,” Butler said that night. “We’re just the better team. We’re not going to say that they’re not a good team. But I don’t think this really matters. I think that when we get them on our home court, it’s going to be a different game. I hope they’re healthy and it’s going to be the same outcome.”
He didn’t back down from those comments earlier this week, but the guaranteed ultimately proved worthless.
As it turns out, all four players who served suspensions had some good moments Friday.
Alvarado played particularly well, with 17 points. Marshall had 13 points and 7 rebounds.
The Heat must play better at home to go anywhere in the postseason.
Miami entered just 17-15 at home, the 10th-worst in the league and the worst among top seven seeds. Now it’s 17-16, unacceptable for a team that considers itself a contender.
What’s more, Miami began the night 1-8 against teams holding a top five seed in either conference. Reversing that is vital; nine of Miami’s last 13 games are at home, beginning with Friday’s game.
“We have not been good enough,” Spoelstra said before the game of Miami’s play at home. “We all know that. We’re aware of it. We can’t go back and change the games we’ve lost here. We would love to show out better in front of our fans.”
The Heat has two more home losses than it had all of last season.
Conversely, Miami is 21-16 on the road and is tied with Cleveland for the second-most road wins in the Eastern Conference.