Miami Heat’s Third Quarter Woes Becoming Concerning Trend

Miguel Mike Medina | Oct 31, 2024

Oct 30, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the basketball over Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami Heat’s third-quarter misery continues, especially at home this season.

It happened again Wednesday the New York Knicks, who ended the third quarter on a 30-10 run. It turned a 13-point deficit into an 87-80 lead.

In three home games this season, the Heat were outscored 100-54 in third. Opponents are shooting 54 percent; the Heat 27 percent.

This has frustrated fans. The Heat are beating themselves with turnovers, missed layups, wide-open threes, and free throws.

As good as Jimmy Butler is, he looked like a role player. His on-ball defense needs to be more impactful. He went 1-for-2 in nine minutes in the third quarter. He should be more aggressive in those situations. 

Tyler Herro did the heavy lifting. When Herro is playing like this, the rest of the players must step up. 

Bam Adebayo continues to struggle. He played poorly on both ends. Adebayo had all sorts of problems stopping Karl Anthony Towns, who looked like Patrick Ewing 2.0 on the court. 

Duncan Robinson played the last few minutes in the third but didn’t contribute. He deserves some blame as well. 

The Heat are 1-2 at home this season. They are heading to Mexico City against Washington on Saturday night. A loss to the Wizards would be catastrophic. 

Coach Erik Spoelstra must think outside the box, open the rotation, and give the young guys some playing time. 

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina