Category: NBA

The Miami Heat are now responsible for handling the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors their first home losses. After struggling against the Heat’s zone defense, the Sixers finally figured out the zone, charging all the way back to within two points. Al Horford’s three-point attempt with 4.8 seconds left fell short, and the Heat came away with a 108-104 win. The win improves the Heat’s season record to 20-8.

Here are my takeaways from Wednesday’s victory over the 76ers.

The Miami Heat have been one of the league’s most surprising teams this season. The emergence of Bam Adebayo and the addition of Jimmy Butler have played a huge part in the team’s early success. As of Wednesday morning, the Heat’s season record is at 19-8, which ranks fourth-best in the Eastern Conference.

Heading into Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat were 0-4 on the second night of a back to back. After a hot first half, the Heat blew a 24-point lead and was in danger of losing to the Luka Doncic-less Mavericks. But in the end, the Heat made critical plays down the stretch to close the game. The Heat moves to 19-7 for the season.

It was fun while it lasted. The Miami Heat’s 11 game winning streak was snapped by the Los Angeles Lakers in what felt like a playoff game. Up by eight at halftime, the Heat found themselves trailing by 11 in the third period before going into the fourth down by three. From there, the game went back and forth, ending with Jimmy Butler’s missed three-point attempt at the buzzer. The Heat’s record for the season is now 18-7.