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The Miami Heat continue to struggle early on in the NBA season after losing 112-104 to Boston (10-7) Monday night. The Heat (5-12) came into this game against the Celtics with high hopes and a reassuring offense. With Goran Dragic back in the game, the Heat had a chance. He scored 12 points in the second half alone.
Key Players
With the Celtics nearly 20 points ahead at the half, the Heat needed something to bring them up and out of their misery. Josh Richardson had three 3-pointers just after the break and four rebounds for the game. Hassan Whiteside had multiple dunks throughout the third and fourth period, notching 25 points and 17 rebounds. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra says Whiteside has come far.
Hassan Whiteside is the 1st Heat player to have at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in 2nd half of a game since Alonzo Mourning, 1997 at Nets
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 29, 2016
Depleting Record
Miami is really struggling. Their season didn’t look good in the beginning, and it certainly doesn’t look good now. Although they aren’t last in the Eastern Conference, 13th isn’t the best spot to be in, just below the other Florida NBA team, the Magic. There is still a small window of time for them to take action and really improve their defensive skills. But this window won’t last forever. It’s just about crunch time for this season. If they don’t make changes now, the opportunity will slip away just as quickly as Boston was able to steal the ball Monday night.
What’s Next
The Heat are gearing up to go on the road to face the Denver Nuggets. Tip off is set for Wednesday at 9 p.m. Denver is 7-10 on the season. Spoelstra knows his team gave plenty of effort during the game against the Celtics. He just wants to see more organization. If the organization can be created, maybe the Heat can bounce back to what they once were.
