The Miami Heat will have to wait for its first win of the new calendar year. As always, Miami continued to fight until the end. After trailing by 24 points to the Dallas Mavericks, the Heat were able to cut into the lead down to single digits late in the fourth quarter. However, the early shooting struggles made it too difficult to overcome. Miami falls to 2-3 for the season.
Here are my takeaways from Miami’s loss to Dallas.
Butler returns
After missing the past two games, Jimmy Butler returned to the Heat lineup. Unfortunately, he wasn’t himself. He couldn’t get anything going. On a positive note, it’s good to see him back though. It’s just going to take some time to regain his rhythm. Keep in mind he’s missed preseason games and was sidelined for two games this season.
Butler finished with two points, three rebounds, two assists, and three turnovers in 27 minutes.
Cold shooting night
This was the most noticeable takeaway from the game. The Heat couldn’t get anything going, especially behind the three-point line. Duncan Robinson was 0-for-5 from downtown. Goran Dragic normally comes through for the team with the offense struggles. But, even this was too much to overcome. Miami scored 31 points on 9-of-36 (25 percent) shooting from the field and 0-of-14 from downtown in the first half.
It got better in the second half, as Miami scored 52 points on 47.6 percent shooting and 7-of-19 from three. There are going to be nights where the shots are not falling. But Miami needs to find other ways to overcome it.
Precious Achiuwa continues to impress
One of the few bright spots of the night came from watching Precious Achuiwa. He set good screens, was active on the boards, and catching lobs. Like Bam Adebayo, he has the lateral quickness to stay in front of guards. The rookie has really earned the coach’s trust. Considering the fact that he hasn’t played summer league that’s very impressive.
Achiuwa ended with 10 points and six rebounds.
Lineup changes continue
With Butler back, Miami used its fifth different starting lineup of the season. The team started Tyler Herro, Butler, Andre Iguodala, Robinson, and Adebayo. It was Iguodala’s second consecutive start for the team. Iguodala’s position, the power forward spot, has been changed the most this season. Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard have already started in that spot. It’ll be interesting to see if Iguodala will remain there.
With the departure of Jae Crowder, Miami’s been hoping to find a 3-and-D player to play alongside Adebayo. If this latest experiment doesn’t work, then Miami may have to search the trade market for one.
Next up: The Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Game tips off at 7:30 pm ET.
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