Despite a brutal stretch of games against the East’s top competition, Miami came out and proved that they belong with the best. The Heat ended up with a 3-1 record on a stretch that included the Nets, the Bulls, the Sixers, and the Bucks. They accomplished all of this with Kyle Lowry away from the team due to personal reasons. Miami started this gauntlet with a home game against the Bulls. The Heat held the Bulls to just 24% from three and cooled down DeMar DeRozan. Demar, who had 8 straight games of 35+ points prior to this game, was held to 18 points on 7 of 16 shooting. Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro led the way for Miami’s win with 20 points apiece. The Heat are 3-0 against the Bulls this season, with one more game remaining in April.
Next up was a quick road trip, starting with Milwuakee. With the Heat converting 47.7% of their 44 threes and Tyler Herro dropping 30 points, you would think Miami pulled this win out. However, a late basket by Jrue Holiday secured the win for the Bucks. Milwaukee’s Big 3 of Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday combined for 79 points for Miami’s only loss out of the stretch. Jimmy Butler also struggled, only converting 2 of his 14 field goal attempts for only 6 points.
Following the loss, Miami had to face a Brooklyn team on the road. Kevin Durant returned from injury this game, playing for the first time since January. Miami was down 67-60 going into halftime, with not much consistency on offense. The bench efforts of Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro along with Bam Adebayo’s 30 point double-double propelled the Heat to a second-half comeback.
Finishing out this stretch was a home game against a Sixer team missing James Harden. Even without Harden, Philadelphia still poses a tough threat to a Heat team still missing Kyle Lowry. This was a defensive battle, with neither team scoring over 100 points. Miami once again had a great showing with their perimeter defense, holding the Sixers to 17% from three. The Heat won this game 99-82, and proved throughout this stretch that they’re among the top tier of the East.
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