OKLAHOMA CITY – Based on their overall record that puts them in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference, and even based on their play over the last few games, sustained excellence has been a summation for the Miami Heat.
On the other hand, it has become a way of life for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Against the backdrop of this double dose of reality, the Heat fell short for the second straight time against a talented Western Conference opponent, this time losing 107-100 Friday night to the Thunder at the Paycom Center.
Once again a victim of offensive rebounds and opposing 3-point daggers, as during the Thirdsday evening defeat against the Dallas Mavericks at the start of this two-game trip, the Heat have now lost three of their last five games.
“I mean, it’s competition,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, “and we’re going to work together until we get that breakthrough. These are painful times.
Jimmy Butler filled up the scoring for the Heat, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Heat also got 25 points from rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. There were also 13 points from newcomer Patty Mills, with the Heat once again playing in the injury absence of Tyler Herro.
On the other hand, the Heat only got five points from Bam Adebayo and were outscored 23-5 on second chance points.
“That’s our obstacle right now,” Spoelstra said of timely opponent rebounds. “We rebounded well for most of the season. For some reason this little pocket right now is giving us trouble.
The Heat’s better numbers were offset by Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37 points and overall scoring from the rest of Oklahoma City’s entire roster.
“We will get better because of this,” Spoelstra said. “There’s a lot of good things to take away and none of us want to talk about it or feel that way, no matter what right now, because we’re competitors. But by the time we get back to Miami, even the head coach can see there are good things happening in our locker room.
Five degrees of heat during Friday night’s game:
1. Closing time: The Heat led 29-27 at the end of the first half and 57-47 at halftime.
The Heat then went up by 14 for the second time in the game, but that lead was erased by a 17-0 Thunder run during a third period that ended with Oklahoma up 77-73 City.
The Heat then got back within one with 7:16 to play, before a second-chance three-pointer from Isaiah Joe put the Thunder ahead 91-86. The play left Spoelstra furious, as he called an immediate timeout.
The pattern repeated with 3:41 left, when a put-back basket by Jalen Williams created a 95-88 lead for the Thunder and another immediate timeout for Spoelstra.
The Heat then twice got within four, before a 3-point basket by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:36 left gave the Thunder a 104-97 lead.
“It’s just the game. It’s these little areas where things can go one way or the other,” Butler said. “You have to go up and you have to leave your mark on the game. We have to recover those loose balls, whether it’s in the air or on the ground.
“The crazy thing is we talked about it before the game and we didn’t do it again. And you see the same result happened as last night. I think if we get those rebounds and those loose balls, I think the outcome is different.
2. Bounce back: Limited to 14 points during Thursday night’s defeat in Dallas, Butler this time scored the Heat’s first six points, in entry attack mode, taking six of the Heat’s first 12 shots.
He was up to 11 points at intermission and eclipsed his total from Thursday late in the third period.
He was also ultimately the only source of lasting effectiveness in the starting lineup.
But Butler’s two consecutive streaks also ended, his streak of 16 consecutive games with a 3-point shot and his streak of 15 consecutive games with a steal.
Butler’s worry in the end was giving up 35 points Thursday to Dallas’ Luka Doncic, then 37 to Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We just have to do a better job of protecting these individuals as a team and not leaving guys on an island too much,” he said. “We still have time. But damn, not too much time.
3. Demonstrate confidence: Although Jaquez was booked for two fouls in less than a minute after entering midway through the first period, Spoelstra stuck with his rookie guard.
The reward was an 11-point first half for Jaquez, who played in attack mode and also helped slow the Thunder’s pace by shooting 4 of 6 from the line in the period.
“Like I’ve said a million times, having a team that trusts me and a coaching staff that trusts me and puts me in these positions, it’s a great feeling,” Jaquez said. “Unfortunately we weren’t able to do it tonight. But we will learn from it and improve.
Jaquez had 17 points at halftime, going 6 of 7 from the field.
“Jaime was able to give us a lot of relief points,” Spoelstra said. “And also during key moments of the game, we could throw the ball to him and set up the same way with what we do with Jimmy. This allowed us to catch our breath, space out and play out of their aggressive defense.
4. Adebayo wrestles: Although he filled up the rest of the scoring, notably grabbing 10 rebounds late in the third period, Adebayo had just three points in three periods, on 1-of-8 shooting.
Entering the night, Adebayo’s season low was seven points in a Nov. 30 loss that he played just 12 minutes of against the Indiana Pacers before leaving with a bruised shoulder. hip which would prevent him from participating in the next seven games.
Adebayo’s only other game scoring in single digits this season came when he scored eight in the Jan. 29 home loss to the Suns.
It was a rough two-game stretch offensively, with Adebayo scoring 14 goals on 5-of-14 shooting in Thursday night’s loss at Dallas.
“You know, these things happen sometimes,” Spoelstra said. “But he’s a competitor. He knows how to influence the game. They were determined to take the ball out of his hands, especially off the post. In pick-and-rolls, they were switching so we couldn’t necessarily get him the ball in his strong spots.
5. Mills debuts: Mills made his Heat debut when he entered with 1:41 left in the opening period.
He then made his first three shots with the Heat, starting with two 3-pointers in the second half, with 11 points during his seven-minute stint in the first half.
“Anytime you get a chance to take the field, it’s always a good thing,” Mills said. “It’s a disappointing loss. We gave ourselves chances, but we didn’t manage to find the 50-50 we talked about before the match. But yeah, it’s really great to stretch out and get on the field and be with this team.
Spoelstra also changed his rotation approach in the power rotation, playing starting power forward Nikola Jovic as a backup center when Adebayo went to the bench.
With Kevin Love out, Spoelstra played Orlando Robinson or Thomas Bryant at center last week when Adebayo sat.
