The Miami Heat fell to their seventh-consecutive loss tonight after failing to beat the Phoenix Suns at home. The 105-118 loss has further demoralized a Heat roster who made a win-now move to acquire Terry Rozier last week and are yet to taste victory with their new-look roster.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke frankly about the team’s struggles and what they need to do to right the ship.
“We’re in a hole right now. The level of urgency and concern is extremely high. We’re just not doing it consistently. Hard enough, tough enough, with enough resolve with the things that come at you in an NBA game. We can do it for periods of time and sustain it, we have to get over this hurdle. One way or the other. That’s what we’re gonna work on.”
Spoelstra took accountability alongside his players for their current struggles while emphasizing the importance of winning a game before the streak spirals out of control.
“We’ve been saying it, we’ve been doing it, and I’m not absolving myself of anything. I am every bit a part of this right now. We have to come together to figure out some solutions, figure out how we’re gonna get one win. That’s what this thing is about right now.”
The Heat have struggled to keep pace with opponents over this stretch, losing to Phoenix, New York, Boston, Memphis, Orlando, Atlanta, and Toronto. Their next game is against the Sacramento Kings and is a must-win for the Heat, who have slipped to No. 7 in the East.
The Heat essentially took themselves out of the running for any major trade targets on the market by sending a pick and their most tradeable contract to the Hornets for Rozier. Any moves they can make will be marginal, which won’t transform a team as listless as the Heat right now.
The Heat pride themselves on having a top-10 defense, but they’re running an overall point differential. They give up 111.7 points per game, which is the seventh-best in the NBA. However, they’re scoring just 110.4 points per game, which would rank 27th. That isn’t the sign of a winning team, though they made a Finals run last year despite having such struggles in the regular season.
The Heat were in the battle for the No. 4 seed but have fallen six games behind the current No. 4 seed Knicks over this stretch, as they’ve gone on a seven-game winning streak. They sit at No. 7 right now with a 24-23 record, tied with the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic. The weakness of the East at the bottom means they’re still unlikely to fall out of the play-in tournament, but this team was expected to be a top-six lock heading into the season.
They’re three games behind the Indiana Pacers, who recently turned a losing streak into a three-game winning streak without Tyrese Haliburton. The Heat are desperate for a win or else they may have to fight through the play-in yet again.
