The Miami Heat lost a competitive game to the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night, 131-124, where the team was down three starters in Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and Tyler Herro. The loss also officially eliminated Miami from the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke after the game and mentioned how “it’s a shame” the result was a defeat as he felt the team played well for most of the game. While the team did in fact keep it close with the high-powered Bucks, Miami slipped in the last several minutes which ultimately became the finishing blow for the team.
“It’s a shame because I felt like we played a very good basketball game very good offensive game in particular, I thought there were stretches where we were good defensively,” Spoelstra said. “This team also can make it look like you’re making mistakes even when you’re not with their shot making. It’s a shame, I felt like we did enough to at least put ourselves in a better chance to win the game.”
There were a ton of bright spots in the game with the shiniest part being star Bam Adebayo who has been great all-season so far. He finished the game with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Besides the Heat’s big-man, Spoelstra also said that players like Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson, and more all had impressive games.
Spoelstra said Heat feel like they’re a very good team:
Spoelstra made it a point to say to the media after the game that the feeling in the locker room is that they’re improving and that they have a “very good basketball team.” While that may come off as no surprise since it’s coming from the team themselves, there should be some credence to their words due to past accolades made by a unit with mostly the same players.
“We feel like we have a very good basketball team. We feel like we’re getting better, there’s just a sense in the locker room and that’s basically what I told the team. The other reality is we are in a three game losing streak,” Spoelstra said. “They don’t want to get in the habit of losing. So finding different ways to win basketball games is a talent in this league for a team. We’re getting there, the last three weeks have been much better. It was just unfortunate we weren’t able to get this one tonight.”
Heat’s Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo reflect on loss:
The aforementioned Kyle Lowry had a very efficient game as he scored 21 points and recorded six assists as he made seven of his 10 attempts from the field. He said to the media post-game that he feels “positive” about where the team is at and knows the heights of where Miami could go to.
“I think we’re very positive about what we are. The last two games we lost 20 Point leads, but we feel good about our togetherness,” Lowry said “You know, I think we’ve been in two tough games and then the next game we were really down bodies and they took advantage of that, but I feel like we think we’re all positive and you know, I think we we know where we are, I know what we could possibly be.”
Adebayo said to ClutchPoints that losing streaks happen in basketball. On the other hand, he hints that a game like the loss against the Bucks or their next game against the Indiana Pacers can lead to another seven-game winning streak like the one they went on earlier.
” I mean, we can’t be in the hole too long. We got another game and you never know, it could spark another seven-game winning streak,” Adebayo said.
The Heat look to break their skid against the Indiana Pacers Thursday at the Kaseya Center. It won’t be too long for those two teams to face each other again as Saturday they’ll meet again.