Heat search for solutions after 21-point loss to Raptors
heat-search-for-solutions-after-raptors-blowout
The Miami Heat left Kaseya Center on Tuesday night still looking for answers after a 121-100 defeat to the Toronto Raptors, a result that prompted head coach Erik Spoelstra to acknowledge the club’s slide without reservation.
“This is not what I would have predicted,” Spoelstra told reporters, adding that productive morning work and competitiveness in recent road losses at Boston and New York had him expecting better. “In the New York game, we competed with a great spirit. That kind of game, you win a lot of games. But I don’t even know right now.”
Miami opened December at 13-7, armed with the NBA’s 13th-ranked offense and third-ranked defense. Since the calendar turned, the Heat are 2-8—the league’s worst mark during that span. Offensive efficiency has tumbled to 27th, while the defense has fallen to 18th, leaving the club at 15-15 overall.
Third-year wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. said responsibility begins with each player. “I think it all starts individually. We all got to look ourselves in the mirror,” he said. “I know I can do a lot more. There’s a lot more that I know I can bring to this team. It’s a tough stretch right now, and we’re really going to discover who we are in this time.”
The Heat have now dropped three straight games and six of their last seven, searching for the balance that briefly had them ten games over .500 earlier in the season.
Source: Hoops Wire
