The Minnesota Timberwolves bested the Miami Heat twice in a span of four days. (Mandatory Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
There’s losing, and there’s getting humiliated.
If you were to categorize the Miami Heat’s 122-94 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, it’s much closer to the latter than it was the former.
This comes on the heels of losing to the Timberwolves inside Kaseya Center, 125-115, four days prior. While Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was encouraged with his team’s effort in that game, he was not after their 28-point loss.
“We showed less of a spirit on this one,” he said. “The one on Saturday, we had a spirit to fight until the end. That’s what is most disappointing to me as the head coach: The last 6 minutes, it felt like we let it go. At that point, we weren’t going to win the game. … But, still, what you have is your spirit and keep on fighting, not just to let it go there at the end.”
Miami shot just 35.7 percent from the floor, coughing up the rock 17 times while ranking in the 1st percentile in offensive rating (85.7), according to Cleaning The Glass.
“We got a lot to work on as a team,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. “We can’t lose our focus when somebody makes a run or shots aren’t falling. We gotta continue to play our style of basketball — playing in transition, swing the ball collectively and get each other open shots.”
Minnesota outscored Miami 61-40 in the second half, including a 26-9 run over a near-nine-minute stretch in the second half. At one point, the Heat had just five points through the first 8:19 of the fourth quarter, finishing 5-for-20, including 2-of-12 from 3-point range.
The Heat’s offense looked pretty discombobulated all night, rim efficiency (or lack thereof) not withstanding.
Their 28-point defeat was another episode of their struggles against the league’s best defenses. Minnesota slowed the Heat down and used its overwhelming size and athleticism to its advantage. If the Heat have any aspirations at making a run, these are trends that can’t continue happening — especially once they become fully healthy.
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