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MIAMI – It was an exciting night Wednesday for the Miami Heat as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in blowout fashion by 41 points, 134-93, bringing their record to an even 10-10. Heat star Tyler Herro led the team with a whopping 31 points alongside others that could signal a positive trajectory for the team.
There is no doubt that it has been a frustrating season for Miami as, looking at their 10-10 record, it has been filled with close losses and games where they vastly underperformed. However, it also includes some key wins, whether it be last month against the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks or the aforementioned victory over the Lakers.
The win was filled with what the Heat's identity is, which includes efficiency from three-point range, in the paint, and effective ball movement as they recorded 42 assists on 52 made shots. Heat's captain Bam Adebayo spoke after the game and expressed that the team had dealt with “ups and downs” before during the season.
“We deal with ups and downs a lot throughout the season,” Adebayo said. “It’s basketball. For us, man, it’s going out there and playing with the right energy. I feel like that’s why we lose most of the games, the energy is off. We came out here today and had great energy, and you see what happens.”
Heat's Tyler Herro wants team to be “consistent”
One pleasant surprise for the Heat this season has been the consistent play of Herro, who thrashed Los Angeles' defense, especially in the third quarter, where he started seven of seven from beyond the arc. Herro has changed his shot profile to focus on shots from three-point range and near the rim, which has resulted in his most complete season so far, as he leads the team with 24.1 points per game.
He has also been through the Miami squads that have experienced major hurdles along their way, but he would express that the way for them to reach their main goals is to be “consistent.”
“We just got to stick with it,” Herro said. “Being consistent is our main thing right now, trying to put a full 48-minute game together is key for us. It’s early on, but the teams that have separated themselves in the standings have done that from the very beginning. So we have to continue to find our identity while we get wins.”
Heat's Tyler Herro on how they played offense compared to prior losses
The win over the Lakers was much needed, especially after the prior two-game road trip where they lost disappointingly to the Toronto Raptors and then the day after to the Heat's Eastern Conference rivals in the Boston Celtics. However, the offense looked much different Wednesday, as Herro would explain how they were “harder to guard.”
“I thought we were harder to guard, you know than we were in the last two games on the road that we just played,” Herro said. “You know, we got stuck a couple times, we kept moving, got into another action, you know, made them guard multiple actions on multiple sides of the ball or on the floor. And, yeah, I mean, when we played two sides like that, it's tough for us to guard, you know, it's not every possession is going to look good, but I thought it looked better tonight.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on the defensive pressure
Besides the offense, the defense of the Heat arguably is a central part of their famed “culture,” which has been present in the past few years when the team has ranked top-five in the league in defensive rating. They are currently 11th in that statistic, but the one aspect they have been exceptional at is their ability to force turnovers.
Miami currently has the fifth-highest turnover rate in the NBA this season at 15.9 percent, as the Lakers committed 13 of them, resulting in 18 points. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra would speak after the game about the defense, where the ultimate goal is for the opposing team to “feel” them.
“We’re at our best when the other team feels us, and that takes an energy commitment, it takes an alertness commitment, it takes a commitment right from the get-go,” Spoelstra said. “That’s just who we are, and there’s a pathway to, I feel, greater success than what we’ve had right now. But we have to commit to that. We’re not just going to play you straight up in the center of the ring and expect it to totally go our way.”
At any rate, Miami is 10-10 as they have a crucial back-to-back upcoming starting Saturday against the Phoenix Suns and Sunday facing the Cleveland Cavaliers.
