The Miami Heat tried everything they could to keep themselves from losing against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, their lack of help in scoring allowed OKC to snag a 107-100 victory. Heat fans are probably disappointed with how things are going despite a dominant start to the second half of the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander DRILLS the clutch three 🎯pic.twitter.com/EqKIHW7X2X
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 9, 2024
However, the good news is that Miami still sits at the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ve taken advantage of the Philadelphia 76ers’ fall after Joel Embiid’s exit. OKC has been on an extremely successful run as well. They have occupied the top spot in the Western Conference.
Miami Heat player stats
The Miami Heat had an extremely close game against the Thunder, however, the latter managed to add pressure during the final minutes. Miami shot 46.3% from the field, 37.9% on 29 attempts from deep, and 72.2% from the foul line. This wasn’t their brightest night in terms of defense. Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic recorded a combined total of 4 blocks.
Player | Minutes | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
Jimmy Butler | 37 | 20 | 8 | 10 |
Nikola Jovic | 30 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Bam Adebayo | 31 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
Terry Rozier | 32 | 14 | 4 | 5 |
Duncan Robinson | 28 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 31 | 25 | 3 | 3 |
Caleb Martin | 30 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
Patty Mills | 16 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
Haywood Highsmith | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Offensively, Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the team with 25 points along with 3 assists and rebounds. Jimmy Butler contributed good numbers to the game as well. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Terry Rozier finished with 14 points while Adebayo barely impacted scoring. Patty Mills scored 13 points coming off the bench.
Oklahoma City Thunder player stats
The Thunder ought to be proud of themselves for surpassing one of the strongest defensive teams around. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a spectacle on both sides of the floor. He finished with 37 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and one steal. OKC shot 47.3% from the field, 31.6% from deep, and 84.6% from the foul line.
Player | Minutes | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
Luguentz Dort | 33 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
Jalen Williams | 30 | 15 | 4 | 5 |
Chet Holmgren | 29 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 36 | 37 | 6 | 5 |
Josh Giddey | 23 | 11 | 6 | 9 |
Isaiah Joe | 19 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
Aaron Wiggins | 19 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
Gordan Hayward | 18 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Jaylin Williams | 17 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
Jalen Williams has been more consistent in scoring as he finished with 15 points against the Heat. Josh Giddey followed through with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Isaiah Joe also scored 10 points coming off the bench. Chet Holmgren has been off lately, but chances are he will come back stronger.