Five takeaways: Playoffs? Here’s how loss to Pistons affects the Heat’s playoff chances
Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 119-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons (28-30) on Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
1. This loss was painful for the Heat (26-32). Miami’s matchup against Detroit came with playoff implications, with the defeat pushing the Heat down to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
While a win would have put the Heat ahead of the Pistons for the East’s eighth and final playoff spot, No. 10 Miami is now percentage points behind No. 9 Orlando, 1.5 games behind No. 8 Charlotte and two games behind No. 7 Detroit. To make matters worse, the Pistons were playing on the second night of a back-to-back set.
Coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t have many answers when asked to explain the Heat’s performance in a game that carried so much meaning in the race for one of the East’s final playoff spots.
“I don’t know if any of us can answer that right now,” Spoelstra said. “The last two-and-a-half weeks, we’ve probably been playing our best basketball of the season regardless of what our record was. I don’t think any of us saw this [coming]. It’s tough to explain. It is one game, and we’re just going to keep on plugging away. As painful as it is, we’ll come in tomorrow and work and find some solutions.”
Guard Dwyane Wade didn’t have an answer either.
“It was disappointing, but here we are,” Wade said. “I don’t have the answers. I wish I did, but we’ve been talking about this all year. You can’t just turn it on because the game means more. We are who we are. I’ve been saying this all year. You would love to be able to turn it on and we obviously played well in certain games that people probably were like, ‘Wow, they played well and they won that game.’ But the ones all year that we need to win, especially at home, we’ve been terrible at home this year.”
Another reason Saturday’s loss was especially painful for the Heat? The victory basically sealed the tiebreaker for Detroit if the Pistons and Heat end the regular-season with the same record. Detroit now owns a 2-1 edge in the season series over Miami, which is the first tiebreaker used, and also owns a 19-19 conference record to Miami’s 14-21 conference record, which is the second tiebreaker used.
With 24 games remaining in the Heat’s regular season, Miami has a small margin for error if it’s going to make the playoffs. There is one matchup remaining between the Heat and Pistons in their season series, with Miami hosting Detroit on March 13.
2. There was no in-arena video tribute for Wayne Ellington, but there was still plenty of love for the sharpshooting guard in AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday.
Before Ellington’s first game in Miami since he was traded by the Heat on Feb. 6, there were hugs and hellos from former teammates and coaches. Then there was a loud ovation when Ellington was introduced as a Pistons starter, followed by a conversation with Spoelstra that ended with a hug before the start of the second half.
Ellington finished with six points on 2-of-5 shooting from three-point range in 25 minutes.
The big number is the minutes Ellington played. Before Miami traded Ellington, he had fallen out of the rotation and was an active scratch in 15 of his final 20 games with the Heat.
Since joining Pistons earlier this month, Ellington has logged 20-plus minutes in three of the four games he’s played with Detroit. The 31-year-old wanted a bigger role before he hits free agency this summer, and he’s getting it with the Pistons.
3. Goran Dragic didn’t play his usual allotment of minutes in his first game back from knee surgery, and there seemed to be some rust in the 32-year-old point guard’s game.
When healthy, Dragic is the Heat’s most reliable offensive player. He’s an efficient scorer who can create for himself and others off the dribble, which is a trait Miami has lacked at times this season with Dragic and fellow penetrating guard Dion Waiters both missing extended stretches due to injury.
But it will take a few games for Dragic to return to form. In his first game since undergoing surgery on his right knee on Dec. 19, Dragic finished with four points on 2-of-6 shooting and zero assists in 16 minutes.
“I don’t even care about his performance. It just is great to have him back out here,” Spoelstra said. “When somebody goes in for surgery at the time that he did, you think that could be it for the season. But he’s back, and there’s nothing like real game action. He’s in great shape, but it’s different than game action. He needs these minutes right now.”
Dragic played as a reserve in his first game back, even with starting point guard Justise Winslow unavailable due to left knee soreness. When the rust is off Dragic’s game and Winslow returns, this question comes into play: Should the Heat keep Winslow, the emerging talent, as its starting point guard over Dragic, the proven veteran?
Dragic played as part of a bench unit that included Wade and Bam Adebayo on Saturday, but it would be odd for Dragic — the Heat’s only All-Star the past two seasons other than the commissioner-appointed Wade — to not eventually start again on a team that’s six games below .500.
4. Even with Derrick Jones Jr. and Dragic recently returning from injury, the Heat was still shorthanded against the Pistons.
Along with the absence of Winslow, James Johnson also missed Saturday’s game with a slight AC sprain in his left shoulder. Then Rodney McGruder, who started for Winslow, exited the contest at halftime after suffering a bruised right knee in the second quarter.
Spoelstra said after Saturday’s loss that McGruder’s injured knee would be re-evaluated Sunday.
With Winslow, Johnson and McGruder unavailable, Spoelstra turned to two-way contract player Duncan Robinson to start the second half. Robinson played the first 7:41 of the third quarter, totaling three points on 1-of-2 shooting from three-point range during that stretch.
It was Robinson’s first made three-pointer with the Heat since Nov. 20. With most of his action coming as part of Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, he’s 3 of 9 on threes with the Heat this season.
5. The Heat’s struggles at home continue, as it dropped to 11-17 at AmericanAirlines Arena this season after Saturday’s loss.
In an unusual trend that’s carried on throughout the season, Miami has been a much better road team at 15-15 than it’s been at home. The Heat has now lost five consecutive home games, and has not won a game at AmericanAirlines Arena since a Jan. 12 victory over the Grizzlies.
If Miami somehow finishes with a winning road record and a losing overall record, it would accomplish a unique feat. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, there hasn’t been an NBA team that’s finished a season with a losing overall record while posting a winning road record.
“It has to be high because every game matters,” Dragic said of the Heat’s level of concern. “We have 24 [games] left. ... We struggle at home. We need to correct those things.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2019 at 10:17 PM.
