Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat haven’t started panicking, but there is cause for concern.
Through 21 games, the Heat sat at 14-7 and third in the Eastern Conference. From that point, the Heat have lost five straight games, including a 106-96 home loss to the Toronto Raptors on December 15.
Following the game, Heat center Bam Adebayo was blunt during the postgame press conference about where the team is struggling.
“It’s that defensive end I’m really worried about,” Adebayo said. “Even if we don’t score 140, if we score 96, we can still win. That’s obviously got to be a collective thing, understanding everybody is on the same page.”
During the Heat’s five-game losing streak, opposing teams have averaged 114.8 points per game. During the same time frame, the Heat have only averaged 105.6 points per game.
The Indiana Pacers are currently last in the NBA for the season, averaging 110.2 points per game.
“I really think we overthink our 3s,” Adebayo said. “Sometimes I feel like we just be too open. Sometimes we double drive, and drive right into traffic. A lot of this can be figured out just (by) watching film.”
The Miami Heat Are Not New to Losing Streaks
GettyErik Spoelstra is not as concerned with the Heat’s skid.
While a five-game losing streak is rarely a positive thing, the good news for the Miami Heat is they’ve been here before.
In March of last season, the Heat were 29-31 and seventh in the Eastern Conference. Ten games later, the team was 29-41 and clinging to a play-in spot. The Heat were able to rally, winning eight of their last 12 games, eventually advancing past the play-in tournament.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra is familiar with the ups and downs that come with the regular season, and following the loss to the Toronto Raptors, he isn’t showing the same level of concern.
“Seasons get like this,” Spoelstra said. “You just have to stay together and get back to work. Really, we did a great job of getting to the free-throw line; they won the three-point line. It’s really been a few games in a row where that’s happened.”
The Heat started the season as one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the NBA. The success of their revamped offense has largely relied on outside shooting.
They are still No. 10 in the league as a team in three-point percentage. However, they’ve failed to reach 30% from beyond the arc over their last three games.
Injuries Have Negatively Affected the Heat’s Consistency
GettyHeat’s Tyler Herro’s injuries have limited his availability this season.
Multiple factors have contributed to the Miami Heat’s five-game losing streak, but injuries have been one of the main culprits.
Miami Heat all-star guard Tyler Herro has missed three of the last four games with a toe injury after returning from an ankle surgery on November 24. Heat guard Norman Powell has also missed time this season.
The team has used nine different starting lineups through just 26 games.
Heat forward Nikola Jovic has also been battling injuries this season and sustained a scary-looking elbow injury in the first quarter during the loss to the Toronto Raptors. Fortunately, his X-ray returned as negative, but he will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
“Niko is a warrior,” Adebayo said. “He’s got that tough Serbian blood in him.”
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