The Miami Heat finished their 4th game in five nights on Tuesday. The offense was clicking early for Miami with a lot of ball movement and back-cut action. But the Toronto Raptors turned it around in the second half. After trailing by 15 points, the Raptors went with the 2-3 zone, and it helped Toronto come back. The zone threw Miami out of rhythm, and they didn’t recover from it. Miami kept taking tough shots and turning the ball over. In the end, Miami lost its third consecutive game. With the loss, Miami falls to 32-20 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Tuesday’s loss to Toronto.
Offense Clicks Early but Falls Late
On Monday, we saw how tough it was for Miami’s offense to get going without Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker. Both players returned on Tuesday, and we saw an immediate impact. The drive and kick game returned with Butler in the lineup. And they had counters with Tucker able to get into the paint with a floater or space the floor with his corner three-pointers. Unfortunately, the team went away from this in the fourth quarter. Most of their offense went with late shot clock attempts from either Tucker or Caleb Martin. Miami needs to work on its late-game half-court offense soon. Kyle Lowry will help but Miami still needs to be better. It’s hard to see them moving past the second round if this continues to be an issue.
Aggressive Bam
The bright spot of the night was Bam Adebayo. He was terrific on both ends of the floor. Adebayo put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. This time, there was no hesitation in his game. Adebayo knew he could get past any defender with his quickness, and he used it to his advantage. This was the most aggressive Adebayo has been all season. Defensively, he continued to put his great versatility on display. On one play, he provided help with the trap and quickly recovered back for a steal. His energy was off the charts all night long. This is the player Miami needs to see more of. Especially on the offensive end. Adebayo finished the night with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals.
Robinson’s Minutes Fall Short Again
After a good January, it seems like Duncan Robinson‘s stock is falling again. Robinson ended up playing 15 minutes in the game. The Raptors’ defense has a lot to do it with it too. Robinson usually has an easier time scoring off the ball. But the Raptors’ defense makes it difficult for him. Whenever Robinson uses a screen, two Raptors defenders will immediately trap him and force him to make a quick decision. With Robinson struggling, Miami went with Max Strus who had a better game than Robinson. Miami tends to go more with Strus whenever Robinson struggles. The trade deadline is less than ten days away, so Robinson better step up quickly.
Victor Oladipo Update
Losing the game hurts but there were a few positives that were evident. One of those involved Heat guard Victor Oladipo. During the Heat telecast, there was a video of Oladipo going through a competitive two-on-two game with his teammates. It’s not as fast-paced as an actual game but it’s still encouraging. The fact that he’s doing contact workouts right now shows he’s drawing closer to his debut. The date is still to be determined though. But it seems like we could be seeing Oladipo at some point this month.
Check out @VicOladipo‘s workout from earlier today 👀@MiamiHEAT | #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/5g0oG91RrV
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) February 2, 2022
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