Short-Handed Heat Fall to Warriors 113-92

The Miami Heat (39-33) fell to the Golden State Warriors (37-34) 113-92 at home on Tuesday night.

The Heat led at halftime by two points. But, the Warriors lit up in the second half, including a 26-11 run in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.

A few days off before our next one. pic.twitter.com/6EHHxd2l3p

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 27, 2024

Heat’s Offensive Struggles

The Heat were riddled with injuries heading into the game. Jimmy Butler was ruled out before the game due to an illness. Additionally, power forward Kevin Love missed his 14th consecutive game with a heel injury, while Tyler Herro missed his 16th straight with a foot injury. Duncan Robinson was ruled out with a back injury and missed his fourth straight.

The game marked the 35th different starting lineup for Miami, a franchise record. They ran out a starting five of Terry Rozier, Patty Mills, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo.

The short-handed Heat were competitive in the first half, scoring 55 points and maintaining a two-point lead. However, they couldn’t maintain that success after the break. Miami scored just 37 points on 28.9% from the field and 6.2% from behind the arc.

As a team, the Heat shot 40% from the field and 24% from three.

Adebayo led the team with 24 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on 10-21 from the field. Rozier and Haywood Highsmith contributed with 15 points each, but it wasn’t enough to lift Miami’s offense. Adebayo also made a three for the sixth time in the last seven games.

The Heat fell to 2-16 on the season when scoring less than 103 points.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1772778614578094482

Klay Thompson’s Big Night

Warriors guard Klay Thompson had a big night in his return to the starting lineup.

The five-time all star scored 28 points on 11-20 from the field and 6-14 from deep. It was his highest scoring game since Feb. 15 for Golden State.

28 points for 1️⃣1️⃣@verizon || Reliable Moments pic.twitter.com/DrDHBvKSDr

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 27, 2024

Playoff Implications

The Heat lost some ground in the playoff race following the loss.

At seventh place in the Eastern Conference, Miami sits right above the Philadelphia 76ers by way of a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Heat drop to 1.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for the last guaranteed playoff spot with ten games remaining.

As for Golden State, they got a much needed win as they stay a full game ahead of the Houston Rockets for the final play-in spot in the west.

10 more to play#HEATPlayoffPush // @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/xS9xKq1sfL

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 27, 2024

The Heat have time to rest before a home matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.