For three of the four quarters in their clash with the Sacramento Kings on Monday, the Miami Heat looked like the better side, outscoring Sacramento by a combined 19 points in the first, second, and fourth quarters.
Yet, despite their efforts, Miami fell short, losing by a single point due to a disastrous third quarter where they were outscored by 20.
In that stretch, the Heat struggled on both offense and defense, allowing the Kings to pile on 37 points while managing only 17 themselves.
Unfortunately for Miami, such third-quarter collapses have not been isolated incidents this season.
The Heat’s offensive rating in the third quarter currently stands as the worst in the league at 91.6, highlighting an ongoing struggle as the team fails to maintain momentum after halftime.
Reflecting on the loss, Heat center Bam Adebayo pointed out the trend, suggesting the team often eases off in the third quarter.
“It’s like we like to let our foot off the gas and let teams back into it to try to make it interesting,” Adebayo admitted.
“We’ve got to figure out the third quarter. It’s been a deciding factor in a lot of our games.”
Jimmy Butler also weighed in, hinting that Miami’s struggles on offense are affecting their defensive play as well.
“When we aren’t making shots, that’s normally when teams start to go on runs,” Butler explained.
“We don’t get back, we don’t defensive rebound. It’s a defensive thing, but for us, it’s more offense. When we don’t see that ball going through that basket, mentally we have to be tougher and stronger to still get stops. That’s the main problem; that’s what you’re seeing in the third quarter.”
Tyler Herro echoed his teammates’ sentiments, acknowledging that Miami’s slow starts after the half have become a troubling pattern.
“We need to come out of the half stronger,” Herro said.
“Obviously, it’s been a trend. [We need to] just find a way to be motivated to come out in the second half. Every quarter we won [Monday] except the third.”
Following their defeat to the Kings, Miami now sits at 3-3 for the season, having lost two of their last three games, including a setback against the New York Knicks, where they were undone by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 44-point performance on October 30.
The path forward doesn’t get any easier for the Heat, with a challenging stretch of road games on the horizon.
Their next three matches will be away against the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves—each of whom boasts a winning record.
The Suns, currently tied with the Golden State Warriors for the second-best record in the Western Conference at 6-1, will be a particularly tough test.
For the Heat, addressing their third-quarter issues will be essential if they hope to avoid falling into an early-season slump against high-caliber opponents.