‘I know what it looks like’

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – Like The Miami Heat claim they want to reach their “high ceiling,” as the head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed last week, Monday night was a moment that could be seen as a team setback or a much-needed reality check. Although it is The Heat were once again without Tyler Heroas well as Norman Powell and Pelle Larsson, the team lost to the Utah Jazz 115-111 under circumstances that are confusing.

The Jazz fielded a starting lineup that featured rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic, three players who didn’t log a single minute in the fourth quarter, despite the game being close.

Earlier, it could be argued that the statement that the team “tanks” could be accusatory, but with Utah coming into the game 16-37 and the team having previously held players in the final frame, it is not an overstatement to say that the team wants to lose. However, Miami struggled throughout the game, including a fourth quarter where the team missed a ton of opportunities. still finding problems with winning consecutive gamessince he only did it once in 2026.

“I know what it looks like,” Spoelstra told ClutchPoints. “First of all, the team they played in the first three quarters is a lot different than the team we played in Salt Lake. They presented some different challenges with size in terms of our driving, offensive game and rebounding. And then in the fourth quarter, it just became a game.

“Sometimes it’s hit or miss, but we had our opportunities to get out and get stops defensively. It would have been pretty ugly down the stretch. Our guys were on the gas; our guys really put it out there. And I know how that sounds, playing against a team with their record.”

Warmth Bam Adebayo on facing a team that is “trying to lose”

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipovski (22) during the third quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

With The Heat failed to land Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadlinethe team is now focused on succeeding with what they have, but there’s no denying the number of areas that need to be cleaned up. While Monday could be argued as the worst loss of the season due to opponents actively going down, it’s not the first time Miami has lost when, on paper, it should have dominated.

Regardless of the circumstances, Bam Adebayo would tell ClutchPoints that Miami has to find ways to win, even if the other team is “trying to lose.”

“I’ve got to figure out how to consistently win games,” Adebayo said after posting 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. “It doesn’t matter if it’s back-to-back. Four games in five nights, whatever it is, we’ve got to find a way to win, even against teams that, I guess you could say, are trying to lose.

“We have to look in the mirror. That’s the biggest thing, not looking in the mirror enough to see what we can do better, day in and day out. We kind of go with the flow, and then when we fall behind, it’s kind of when we want to, like, throw in… Like we have to have that urgency from the jump and a lot of times we don’t have that.”

As mentioned, without Hero, Powell and Larsson, Spoelstra started Adebayo alongside Kel’el Ware in the frontcourt, though the second-year center has had foul trouble before. Andrew Wigginswho led with 26 points, Davion Mitchell and Simone Fontecchio rounded out the starting lineup.

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra sends message to fans

Although the Heat led by 15 points in the first quarter, the Jazz put off a 35-point quarter in the second period to give them a nine-point lead at halftime. With Miami coming back in the third quarter and Utah sitting three of its starters in the fourth, it was within their reach to win on Monday night.

The Jazz’s second unit would have other plans, spoiling the win for the Heat on their home floor despite outstanding performances from rookie Kasparas Yakutsionis, who scored 20 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the field, six-of-10 from deep. He would have a career-best game Sunday afternoon in a win over the Washington Wizards, another struggling team, scoring 22 points.

He would have a chance gave Miami the lead with a seventh-inning 3 late in the final frame, but missed a shot with just seconds left in the game. With the Heat looking to make back-to-back wins, Spoelstra was asked why the team struggled to do so as he sent a message to the fans.

“I don’t know. We’re working on it. That’s all I can tell Heat Nation,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a dedicated group. … The guys want it so badly. … Based on my experience, if you just keep moving forward when it gets tough and when it gets disappointing, you’ll eventually make progress. And I believe that, and I know the locker room believes that, too.”

Either way, Miami is now 28-27, which puts them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, as the team looks to head into the All-Star break on a “good note,” as Adebayo described to ClutchPoints.

The last game before the much-needed break is Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.





2026-02-10 05:16:00

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