MIAMI – The Miami Heat suffered another heartbreaking overtime loss to the New York Knicks, 116-112, despite leading by double digits for much of the game. Even without key players Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins, Miami controlled most of the contest before the Knicks mounted a strong comeback, catching the attention of Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo, the team’s captain, put up an outstanding performance, scoring 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting while adding seven rebounds and four assists. The Heat had led by as many as 19 points, excelling in nearly every aspect early on, but New York’s offensive surge turned the tide. In response, Adebayo issued a clear message to his team.
“I would say we played 24 minutes of great basketball, and then it kind of dwindles from there,” Adebayo said. “We got to be able to play 48 minutes of great basketball, not just 24, 36, not even just 40. Because we’re not a type of team where we can just rely on offense to just get the dub. We’ve got to get stops, we’ve got to do the harder things, because we’re not that type of team.”
Heat Struggle With Holding Leads
The Heat’s ongoing issue of surrendering double-digit leads has been a major concern. After the loss to the Knicks, Miami now ranks second in the league with 15 blown leads, trailing only the Utah Jazz. While frustrating, the team has little time to dwell on it, as they prepare for another game on Monday night.
“Got a game tomorrow night,” Adebayo said. “That’s about as short-term memory as possible you can get to, you know. It just stings when this is like our tenth game being up double digits and losing. So for us, it’s when are we going to hold the fort to have a 10-point lead, go to 20, and win by 20.”
Miami shot 53.6% from the field but struggled from three, making just 31.4% of their attempts. Despite multiple chances to close out a crucial win, they fell short. Tyler Herro, the Heat’s lone All-Star, finished with 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting (2-of-11 from deep) and seven assists. After the game, he acknowledged the Knicks’ ability to execute late in the game.
“Think they just made more plays down the stretch than us,” Herro said. “It was a back-and-forth game, two competitive teams going at it.”
Erik Spoelstra Focuses on Late-Game Execution
Despite the ongoing trend of blowing leads, head coach Erik Spoelstra downplayed concerns about the team’s inability to hold large advantages. Instead, he pointed to critical moments late in the game when Miami had a four-point lead with about a minute left in regulation.
“I don’t care about that. You can’t expect to blow teams out,” Spoelstra said. “You know, there were a couple swing moments in the fourth quarter where we could have extended the lead. It didn’t happen. That’s NBA basketball. At the end of the day, we’re up four with a minute and change. But that’s probably where my mind is the most. All the other plays, that’s part of the game. You know, they’re a good team. You know, they made runs. We made a run back, and I thought we handled it well enough to get that four-point lead. We just were not able to finish it off.”
With a home-heavy stretch ahead, the Heat will need to find a way to close out games if they hope to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.
