The Miami Heat, after a strong start to the 2025-26 season thanks to a revamped offense and a consistent defense, seem to be crashing back down to earth as of late. They have now lost four straight games, including their NBA Cup quarterfinals clash against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, 117-108. Miami has now fallen to 14-11 on the season, and their most recent loss has to be very concerning considering that they were healthy against the Magic.
This Heat team carries itself with so much pride, and so does head coach Erik Spoelstra. While the NBA Cup trophy is not the biggest silverware that's up for grabs over the course of a season, the combination of pride as well as monetary incentive made it something for teams to fight for — even for those that may not be considered legitimate title-contenders.
And for the Heat head coach, he is still processing the fact that their NBA Cup run, after a 3-1 run in the group stage that saw them finish with an impressive plus-49 point differential, is now over.
“We have a very competitive group. There was something to really play for right now. We had all wrapped our minds around it. We’re all still kind of shocked about it,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
Heat have to get it together
This Heat team is slumping, and they're not exactly losing to the best of oppositions. While two losses to the Magic is nothing to be ashamed of considering the talent they have on the roster even without Franz Wagner, their other recent defeats have to be very painful to take.
They lost to a struggling Dallas Mavericks team, 118-108, on Wednesday night and then fell short against a directionless Sacramento Kings team, 127-111, this past Saturday. That should raise so many concerns for Spoelstra, who will now be looking towards their next contest (a newly scheduled game against fellow NBA Cup quarterfinals loser Toronto Raptors).
