The Heat were tied with the Warriors at 53 at halftime, then lost the third quarter 38-23. Golden State went on a 26-9 run in that quarter and won 120-100. Miami is now 3-6, and the two things that stood out most to me were how poorly the Heat shot from three and how much trouble they had defending it.
ESPN
1. Ryan Conwell was the spark plug
Conwell got off to a hot start and gave Miami some of its best minutes. He finished with 13 points, went 3/6 from three and added three steals without a turnover in 30 minutes.
I liked the energy he brought against the Clippers, and this time the shots went in too. The defensive activity is what makes me want to keep seeing him in the rotation. Even on nights when his shot isn’t falling, he can still make an impact.
2. Miami lost the three-point battle on both ends
The Heat went 13/44 from deep after shooting 10/40 against the Clippers. They got away with it in that game. Against Golden State, the misses piled up while the Warriors went 16/41, with Steph Curry making six himself.
I was just as frustrated with the defense as I was with the shooting. The game was tied at halftime, and Miami gave up 38 in the third. Once Golden State got going from outside, it felt like Miami was playing catch-up the rest of the night.
3. Giannis settled for too many jumpers
Giannis finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds on 7/13 shooting, but I didn’t love his shot selection. He took five threes, and he made one. On a night when the team was already struggling from outside, I wanted him putting more pressure on the rim.
He’s the guy I want attacking downhill when Miami needs to stop a run. Even if he draws help and has to give it up, I’d rather see the possession start with him forcing the defense to react.
4. Miami needs more from Wiggins and Hardaway
Wiggins had two points on 1/6 shooting in 21 minutes. He chipped in six rebounds and four assists, but I expect more scoring from the guy I thought would be Miami’s third-best player. There will be nights when Bam and Giannis need another guy who can get a bucket. This was one of them.
I expected Tim Hardaway Jr. to be the sixth man and give the second unit some scoring. He played four minutes and missed all three of his shots, all from deep. Conwell getting 30 minutes stood out even more with Hardaway playing four. Right now, Conwell is giving Spo more reasons to keep him on the floor.
Next stop
Miami heads to Sacramento on Sunday. I want to see Giannis put more pressure on the rim and the Heat give Conwell another real chance to build on these last two games.
The Heat were tied with the Warriors at 53 at halftime, then lost the third quarter 38-23. Golden State went on a 26-9 run in that quarter and won 120-100. Miami is now 3-6, and the two things that stood out most to me were how poorly the Heat shot from three and how much trouble they had defending it.
ESPN
1. Ryan Conwell was the spark plug
Conwell got off to a hot start and gave Miami some of its best minutes. He finished with 13 points, went 3/6 from three and added three steals without a turnover in 30 minutes.
I liked the energy he brought against the Clippers, and this time the shots went in too. The defensive activity is what makes me want to keep seeing him in the rotation. Even on nights when his shot isn’t falling, he can still make an impact.
2. Miami lost the three-point battle on both ends
The Heat went 13/44 from deep after shooting 10/40 against the Clippers. They got away with it in that game. Against Golden State, the misses piled up while the Warriors went 16/41, with Steph Curry making six himself.
I was just as frustrated with the defense as I was with the shooting. The game was tied at halftime, and Miami gave up 38 in the third. Once Golden State got going from outside, it felt like Miami was playing catch-up the rest of the night.
3. Giannis settled for too many jumpers
Giannis finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds on 7/13 shooting, but I didn’t love his shot selection. He took five threes, and he made one. On a night when the team was already struggling from outside, I wanted him putting more pressure on the rim.
He’s the guy I want attacking downhill when Miami needs to stop a run. Even if he draws help and has to give it up, I’d rather see the possession start with him forcing the defense to react.
4. Miami needs more from Wiggins and Hardaway
Wiggins had two points on 1/6 shooting in 21 minutes. He chipped in six rebounds and four assists, but I expect more scoring from the guy I thought would be Miami’s third-best player. There will be nights when Bam and Giannis need another guy who can get a bucket. This was one of them.
I expected Tim Hardaway Jr. to be the sixth man and give the second unit some scoring. He played four minutes and missed all three of his shots, all from deep. Conwell getting 30 minutes stood out even more with Hardaway playing four. Right now, Conwell is giving Spo more reasons to keep him on the floor.
Next stop
Miami heads to Sacramento on Sunday. I want to see Giannis put more pressure on the rim and the Heat give Conwell another real chance to build on these last two games.
