Even though the Miami Heat are in a three-game losing streak, head coach Erik Spoelstra and guard Kyle Lowry are confident in the team.
The Miami Heat fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 131-124 on Tuesday night, despite missing three starters in Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and Tyler Herro. The loss also effectively ended Miami’s participation in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
After the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said, “It’s a shame” the team lost because they played well for the majority of the game. While the squad did stay pace with the high-powered Bucks, Miami faded in the last minutes, which proved to be the team’s final blow.
“It’s a shame because I felt like we played a very good basketball game very good offensive game in particular, I thought there were stretches where we were good defensively,” Spoelstra said. “This team also can make it look like you’re making mistakes even when you’re not with their shot making. It’s a shame, I felt like we did enough to at least put ourselves in a better chance to win the game.”
There were numerous bright spots in the game, the most prominent of which was star Bam Adebayo, who has been outstanding all season. He ended with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the game. Aside from the Heat’s big man, Spoelstra added that players like Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson, and others had strong games.
Spoelstra said Heat feel like they’re a very good team
Spoelstra made it a point to say to the media after the game that the feeling in the locker room is that they’re improving and that they have a “very good basketball team.” While that may come off as no surprise since it’s coming from the team themselves, there should be some credence to their words due to past accolades made by a unit with mostly the same players.
“We feel like we have a very good basketball team. We feel like we’re getting better, there’s just a sense in the locker room and that’s basically what I told the team. The other reality is we are in a three game losing streak,” Spoelstra said. “They don’t want to get in the habit of losing. So finding different ways to win basketball games is a talent in this league for a team. We’re getting there, the last three weeks have been much better. It was just unfortunate we weren’t able to get this one tonight.”
Heat’s Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo reflect on loss
Kyle Lowry, as previously said, had a very effective game, scoring 21 points and dishing out six assists while making seven of his ten field-goal tries. He told the media after the game that he is “positive” about where the club is and understands the potential of Miami.
“I think we’re very positive about what we are. The last two games we lost 20 Point leads, but we feel good about our togetherness,” Lowry said “You know, I think we’ve been in two tough games and then the next game we were really down bodies and they took advantage of that, but I feel like we think we’re all positive and you know, I think we we know where we are, I know what we could possibly be.”
Losing streaks happen in basketball, according to Adebayo. On the other hand, he suggests that a game like the Bucks’ loss or their next game against the Indiana Pacers might lead to another seven-game winning streak like the one they had previously.
“I mean, we can’t stay in this hole for too long. “We have another game, and who knows, maybe it will spark another seven-game winning streak,” Adebayo added.
The Heat will try to snap their losing streak against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at the Kaseya Center. It won’t be long before those two teams meet again, as they will do on Saturday.
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