Once in sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference and eight games over .500, the Miami Heat now find themselves down in the standings after going 6-10 in the month of January. Now they're two games above .500 and in eighth place while remaining 1.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for the sixth seed. Bam Adebayo and the crew will need to have a strong week to get back out of the play in position as they host Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs , and Boston Celtics.
The familiarity against the Magic is not to be overlooked. The mismatches the Magic displayed with their size advantage over the Heat was overwhelming as they outrebounded Miami by 12 in their last matchup. Orlando also dominated from the free throw line after shooting 22/28 in their 105-87 win over Miami. Players other than Bam Adebayo have to show more effort when it comes to defending the paint and boxing out this time around. The Magic also capitalized on Miami's mistakes, scoring 29 points off of 14 Heat turnovers.
The Heat took a 118-113 win against the Spurs in November where they were able to take advantage of San Antonio's 17 turnovers, scoring 33 points in doing so. They were also able to get to the free throw line and converted at a 93% (28-30) rate. The Spurs will likely run in transition so Miami will have to be focused on limiting mistakes and also keep their defensive rotations strong as this young San Antonio team ranks third in assists.
Rounding out the week will be a meeting with the Celtics. The Heat are looking to seek revenge after losing both of their previous matches, most recently an embarrassing 143-110 defeat in January. They will have to find answers to keep the NBA’s best team in check. It's up to Jimmy Butler and Bam to set the tone on both ends of the floor. The Celtics are averaging 48% from three against the Heat this season. Miami has no chance to win with three-point percentages against them like that.
This week is crucial if the Heat are going to start gaining any type of ground in the conference. Their schedule in February is challenging, eight of their eleven opponents have records over .500; on the bright side, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson will be returning giving Miami much needed shooting and playmaking.
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