So much going right for the Heat, but late-game offense continues to be work in progress
The Miami Heat has won five straight games and owns the top record in the Eastern Conference at 37-20. The Heat is also one of only three teams with a both a top-seven offensive rating and defensive rating this season.
But a nitpicker would point to the Heat’s offense late in close games as an area that needs work.
There’s evidence to support that, too, as the Heat owns the NBA’s sixth-worst clutch offensive rating this season with 97.8 points scored per 100 possessions in those situations. A clutch game is defined as one that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Heat’s late-game offense was again shaky in Saturday night’s 115-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Ahead by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, Miami shot just 7 of 21 (33.3 percent) from the field and 2 of 8 (25 percent) on threes in the fourth quarter as Kyrie Irving scored 20 points in the period to lead a Nets comeback that fell just short.
“We need to do a better job, obviously, when we have the lead,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, with the Heat in the middle of a two-day break before resuming its schedule on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks at FTX Arena. “I think we’re getting great reps of what our fourth-quarter package is, where the ball is going and how we want to do it. These are really important experiences for us to go through. It’s not as if we’re walking out of this building saying, ‘Oh, this is exactly how we wanted it to go.’”
Clutch time was limited on Saturday because the Nets were only within five points of the Heat for about two of the final five minutes. Miami shot 1 of 3 from the field and committed two turnovers during that short clutch stretch.
During the final four minutes of Saturday’s game, the Heat shot 1 of 6 from the field and 0 of 2 on threes. The only field goal Miami made during this span was a driving layup by Jimmy Butler with 22.3 seconds to play.
“We know we have to be better and the only way to really do it is to go through these experiences and go through some of the things that are disappointing and frustrating and work through it and work through a coherent plan to be better the next time,” Spoelstra said.
In total, the Heat has shot 38.4 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range in clutch situations this season.
In the clutch this season: Tyler Herro has made 36.1 percent of his team-high 36 shots, Butler has shot 32.4 percent, Kyle Lowry has shot 50 percent, Bam Adebayo has shot 36.4 percent, and P.J. Tucker is 4 of 8 (50 percent) from the field and 3 of 4 (75 percent) on threes.
When asked to diagnose the Heat’s late-game offensive issues, forward Duncan Robinson noted that “the game changes a little bit and it slows down” in the fourth quarter.
Robinson could be on to something, as Miami owns the NBA’s seventh-best offensive rating but the 11th-most efficient halfcourt offense this season. The Heat has outperformed its halfcourt metrics in part because it has added the second-most points through transition play at four points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.
“When we’re able to play with pace and the ball is getting up the floor, I think that’s when we’re just the hardest to guard because we have so many different looks,” Robinson said. “But down the stretch of games, teams aren’t going to let you do that necessarily. So getting to our fourth-quarter sets and getting the ball where it needs to go, it’s something we’ve talked about a lot.”
Despite its offensive issues late in close games, the Heat has posted an impressive 16-10 record in clutch games this season.
Games like Saturday are one reason for the discrepancy between the Heat’s clutch offense and record, when the opponent makes a fourth-quarter push to turn what was a comfortable Heat lead into a clutch situation. Those late-game runs have hurt Miami’s clutch numbers, but the Heat has found a way to win most of those games because the opponent often can’t complete the comeback.
Also, the Heat’s defense has been dominant in those late-game situations. Miami owns the NBA’s fourth-best defensive rating in the clutch with 97.6 points allowed per 100 possessions this season.
“We just got to get sharper,” Tucker said. “I say it all the time, I hate when we get big, big leads because we lose our focus. Teams in this league, whether they’re good or bad, they’re going to come back.”
TUCKER’S MOMENT
Tucker finished Saturday’s win over the Nets with just one assist, but it will be remembered.
With about nine minutes left in the third quarter, Tucker received a pass from Lowry on a short roll into the paint. As the Nets’ defense rotated to deter Tucker from the basket, he attempted to get the ball to Adebayo with a dump pass.
But Nets center Blake Griffin deflected the pass toward the free-throw line. That’s when Griffin and Tucker chased the loose ball.
Tucker dove to the ground to win the race, slapping the ball off the bounce to an open Robinson in the corner. Robinson made the three-pointer.
“That’s one of the best intangible winning plays that I’ve seen,” Spoelstra said of the play. “It really was like a 30-70 ball. When you replay it, it was just a sheer force of will to try to be able to get any kind of hand on it. But then the IQ to be ahead of it, to see Duncan and turn two plays into one. To recover the loose ball, get you an extra possession and then slap it to a wide open three-point shooter. It was just a heck of a winning play. That really epitomizes what P.J. is all about.”
Immediately after making the three, Robinson pointed to Tucker in appreciation.
“That was an incredible play,” Robinson said. “To have the wherewithal to put a hand on it, put a paw on it, be the first to the ball, first to the floor. Then he hit me right in my pocket. So it was a special play, honestly, from a special player.”
From the ground, Tucker raised three fingers in the air to celebrate Robinson’s three-pointer.
“I don’t care if I ever score. I love getting my guys shots,” Tucker said. “I love getting Duncan, Gabe [Vincent], Max [Strus], all of them. I love just getting any of my teammates. I’m all about it, man. Making winning plays, sacrificing your body, putting it on the line to win games. That’s what it’s about.”
Tucker, who played Saturday despite a left knee contusion, said he’s looking forward to resting his body during the upcoming All-Star break.
“I’ve just been working hard just trying to get better, fighting,” he said. “It’s an ongoing process. It’s not going to happen in a day. But it will be nice to get this break.”
