The Miami Heat have a lot of work to do in the last 14 games of the regular season. Right now they are currently sitting at the 9th spot with a record of 33-35.
They have the same record as the Detroit Pistons who are in the 8th and final playoff spot in the eastern conference. The Heat are capable of making a run at the playoffs if they continue to play at a fast pace.
Miami’s offense has been playing at such a high level, and if they play better on defense that can contribute to them winning these games. Every game is a must win for Miami at this point because a loss would be devastating with only a few games left.
Miami faced off against the Toronto Raptors and came away with a 104-89 win. The Heat starters played a big role in this win. Hassan Whiteside would have another big night with a double-double.
He would score 12 points and grab 14 rebounds. Dion Waiters would also have a good game scoring 20 points. Goran Dragic would also contribute with 15 points in the win.
The Heat bench also had a great night with James and Tyler Johnson combining for 28 points off the bench. The Raptors would have a poor 3-point percentage in this game and that would help the Heat in a big way. The Raptors shot 13.3% from downtown.
In the next game the Heat would face off against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers would win 102-98. Four of them would be in double figures and the Heat had no answer for them. Free Throw shooting was big in this game for the Pacers, they would shoot 84.4% from the line.
For the Heat, Waiters put up big numbers with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Whiteside also had a big game with 26 points and 21 rebounds. The rest of the starters were in single digits, and Luke Babbitt wouldn’t score after seeing 11 minutes of action on the floor.
The Heat would have a game against the New Orleans Pelicans and win 120-112. DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis both had big games for the Pelicans. Davis would score 27 points and have 8 rebounds.
Cousins would score 19 points and grab 9 rebounds. Both teams had to have a great performance from their benches, which they did. The Heat bench scored 51 points.
The Pelicans bench scored 48 points total. The Heat had a big game from their big 3 in Dragic, Waiters, and Whiteside. Whiteside had 20 points and 17 rebounds. Dragic would score 33 points and grab 5 rebounds. Waiters would add 14 points as he helped lead his team to victory.
The Heat have a tough schedule coming up. In their next three games they play the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Phoenix Suns. All three of these games are played at the Heat’s house and they have to take advantage of that.
They have plenty of time to practice and they do not have to travel for a while. That should help them position themselves in order to make the playoffs. They could possibly land in the 7th spot if they keep winning.