For Andrew Wiggins, the start of the Miami Heat’s five-game trip was a moment of celebration that could not fully be celebrated.
In his first game back to Chase Center since being dealt to the Heat last February from the Golden State Warriors in the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to the Bay Arena, Wiggins was feted with a pregame tribute video that lasted over two minutes and then shared a series of embraces with his former teammates afterward.
What happened in between, however, was less festive, with the Heat falling 135-123, in a game Wiggins scored 18 points in the first half and none in the second.
It was a performance that mirrored his team’s, with the Heat unable to muster enough in the second half of a game the Warriors without sidelined Draymond Green, lost Butler in the third quarter with what proved to be a season-ending torn ACL, and then played almost all of the fourth quarter with Stephen Curry on the bench with five fouls.
“They had more energy than us. We can be better, for sure,” Wiggins said, with the Heat moving on to Tuesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center, the second stop of the trip that continues with games at the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, Utah Jazz on Saturday at Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
The dichotomy of Wiggins’ 6-of-9 first half from the field and 0-for-5 of the second half aside, it was a night warm in embrace and respect.
“It was a great tribute,” said Wiggins, who acknowledged the crowd after the tribute video. “Definitely meant a lot to see all the love in the building, all the excitement, all the old faces, everything that comes with it. But it was great. It was a moment I’ll cherish. You don’t get too many of these.”
While the Heat previously had faced the Warriors twice since last season’s trade, it was the first meeting in San Francisco since the trade. It also was Wiggins’ first game since the trade against Curry, who sat out the previous two Heat-Warriors matchups.
“You can’t help but smile when you see Wiggs,” Curry said. “He just has a presence about him. I love the celebration. It seems so long ago, but you realize how much he meant to our organization over the years, especially with that (2022) championship. It being his first time back, I’m glad he got the reception that he deserved because he’ll be a legend in Warriors history for a lot of reasons.”
Despite the Heat’s uneven run this season, including the 22-21 record the Heat carried into Tuesday night, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the presence of Wiggins has been an ongoing plus.
“We’re just grateful that we have him,” Spoelstra said, adding to the day of appreciation at Chase Center. “He’s been doing so much for us on both ends of the court. I think as a complete game and all the responsibilities, you can make a case, this is the best that he’s played in his career, because of all those responsibilities he has for us.”
Even with a Monday night win, Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke of a loss with Wiggins.
“He was just a joy to coach every single day,” Kerr said. “When you get a guy like that on your team and you go through a lot together, both on and off the court, then you make a trade, it’s just like that. It’s just crazy, this league, how this business operates.”
Not pleased
Outside of the emotion of Wiggins’ return, Spoelstra said there wasn’t much to relish against the Warriors, with the Heat outscored 27-14 off turnovers, shooting just 13-of-45 on 3-pointers and allowing the Warriors to close at .516 from the field.
“Our decision making was not great and they made us pay for that,” Spoelstra said. “And it wasn’t just the turnovers. The turnovers definitely hurt, especially at any swing moment. But some of our shot selection, too, during moments where the game was starting to go the other way. A combination of that and then it was one of our poorest defensive games in a long time.”