The Heat lost 105-104 to the Sixers in a closely contested play-in game. As a result, the Heat will now play the Bulls for one last chance to make the playoffs. Jimmy Butler showed his unrelenting determination, which is why his jersey is so popular, but it was not enough. This is a disappointing loss. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into this game.
Heat 2024 Season Part 21: The Heat Collapsed in the Second Half
The Heat had a 51-39 lead at halftime in this game against the Sixers. The Heat played particularly well in the second quarter, outscoring the Sixers 28-17. However, everything went wrong for the Heat in the second half.
The Sixers outscored the Heat 30-23 in the third quarter to cut the Heat’s lead to only five points. After that, the Sixers outscored the Heat 36-30 in the fourth quarter to win the game. Unfortunately, this is far from the first time that we have seen the Heat fall apart late in games this season. The Heat probably would have avoided the play-in tournament altogether if they hadn’t blown multiple fourth-quarter leads.
The Heat’s starters were the main problem in this game. Butler had 19 points and Tyler Herro had 25 points, but they were the only Heat starters with 15 points or more. Bam Adebayo only took nine shots and scored 10 points. Nikola Jovic and Caleb Martin both only had five points. Even Butler and Herro, the Heat’s leading scorers in this game, scored inefficiently.
This is unacceptable from the starters and they need to play much better in the next game against the Bulls.
The Heat Fouled Too Much
The Heat committed 19 fouls in this game. The Sixers had 23 free throws and made 21 of them. This is clearly not good enough in such a close game. The Heat have to be more disciplined on defense as they usually are.
The Heat Have a Must-Win Game Against the Bulls Next
The Bulls will travel to Miami to play the Heat in the final Eastern Conference play-in game. The Heat have to win this game or they will miss the playoffs. Hopefully, the Heat win and at least make the playoffs. It’s doubtful that the Heat will beat the Celtics in the first round, but missing the playoffs would be embarrassing.
Check back next week for more Miami Heat content.