The Miami Heat were just not the same without the services of their franchise star Jimmy Butler on Tuesday night. Miami fell flat on the offensive end, managing to score just 80 points in a 14-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Both Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and shooting guard Tyler Herro offered the same sentiments, blaming “sticky” ball — or their lack of ball movement — as the main reason why they suffered the disappointing defeat.
Via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald:
“You have to credit them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They played with a good passion defensively, but we didn’t help ourselves either. We missed some open shots and then the ball got a little sticky in the second half. We weren’t necessarily moving it or getting off it early. But we’ve been much better than that. We’ve been trending much better offensively. It just was a flat offensive game.”
Miami, which has averaged 25.8 assists per game this season, finished with 15 assists on 28 made baskets.
“We were trying to go at certain players on their team,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “I think we just got a little bit too stagnant offensively, and that’s how the ball got to sticking to our hands and we really couldn’t get a real rhythm in the flow of the game where it was just popping and moving around.”
Butler's absence may have played a factor, since he is among their top playmakers on the team. However, the five-time All-Star likewise did not suit up in their win over these same Hawks just a couple of nights before and didn't experience the same issues as they did on Tuesday night.
In fact, they notched 27 assists in that 109-99 win, which is above their season average. Miami could just chalk this up as “one of those nights” where they didn't have it. However, they don't have much room to have any more of “those nights” considering the 2020-21 NBA season is nearing its midway point and they still find themselves below a .500 record and in the bottom tier of the East playoff picture.
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