The Miami Heat’s recent three-game win streak came to a screeching halt against the Los Angeles Clippers, with their offense drying up in a 109-98 loss. Without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s lack of offensive firepower was on full display.
Main takeaways:
• The Heat’s offense struggled mightily, especially after a hot first quarter
• Miami couldn’t manufacture points or create easy looks without Bam and Jimmy
• This game exposed the Heat’s need for more shot-making and creation
Look, we can’t sugarcoat it - the Heat’s offense was straight-up ugly in this one. They managed to put up 35 points in the first quarter thanks to some hot shooting from Kevin Love and Tyler Herro. But after that? It was like watching paint dry.
The Clippers deserve credit for their defensive effort. They’re one of the top-rated defenses in the league for a reason. But the Heat just had no answers. No one could break down the defense or create good looks. It was a lot of aimless passing around the perimeter before someone chucked up a prayer as the shot clock expired.
This game really highlighted how much the Heat rely on Bam and Jimmy to generate offense. Without Bam’s screen-setting and Jimmy’s ability to get to the rim, everything just bogged down. Tyler Herro did what he could, but he had zero help out there.
I hate to say it, but this loss feels more representative of what the Heat are without Jimmy Butler than those wins against bad teams like Utah and Portland. It exposed some serious flaws in their offense that need to be addressed.
Looking ahead, the Heat desperately need to find more shot-making and creation, whether that’s through internal development or bringing in outside help. Herro has made strides, but he can’t do it alone. They need more weapons to compete in today’s NBA.
The silver lining is the Heat are still good at beating bad teams, which should keep them in the play-in picture. But securing a top-6 seed is looking less and less likely, especially if Jimmy remains out or gets traded.
This game was a reality check for the Heat. They’ve got some work to do if they want to be true contenders again. The offense needs a serious overhaul, and it’ll be interesting to see how they address it moving forward.
