Five takeaways from the Miami Heat’s 106-86 loss to the Phoenix Suns (39-15) on Tuesday night at Phoenix Suns Arena. The Heat (28-26) are 1-1 on their four-game trip:
The Suns, which entered with the NBA’s second-largest point differential this season, handed the Heat their most lopsided loss in nearly a month. Miami’s offense was mostly to blame.
The 20-point defeat was the Heat’s most lopsided since a 27-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 19.
The Heat’s offense struggled following a 34-point first quarter that pushed Miami to an eight-point lead entering the second quarter.
Miami scored just 52 points over the final three periods despite a good number of relatively open looks.
The Heat shot 37.3% from the field and 9-of-44 on 3s in the loss. Miami entered with the sixth-worst offensive rating and the Suns entered with the NBA’s fifth-best defensive rating for the season.
With Phoenix’s All-Star backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul combining for an inefficient 17 points on 6-of-23 shooting, its bench stepped up. The Suns’ reserves outscored the Heat’s bench 65-24
But even in the loss, the Heat’s aggressive defensive style continued to force turnovers.
After scoring 28 points off 17 turnovers in Sunday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Heat forced an efficient Suns offense into 21 turnovers. Phoenix entered averaging the fourth-fewest turnovers this season at 12.9 per game.
The Heat actually outscored the Suns 19-14 in points off turnovers.
The Heat defense’s switch-heavy and trapping style was able to speed up a quality Suns offense at times. Miami entered forcing its opponents into the second-most turnovers per 100 possessions (15.5) in the NBA this season.
There was a scary moment for the Heat, when Jimmy Butler turned his right ankle early in the fourth quarter. But he eventually returned to the game.
With Miami trailing by double digits, Butler went up for a mid-range jump shot and turned his right ankle on the landing with 11:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Heat’s star forward immediately grabbed the injured ankle and remained down on the court until a timeout was called seven seconds later.
Butler, 31, was able to limp to the bench after Heat trainers checked on him. He managed to return to the game with 7:52 to play.
Butler finished Tuesday’s loss with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 32 minutes.
With Victor Oladipo already out indefinitely because of right knee soreness, Butler's quick return to Tuesday’s contest was positive news with another game coming up Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Butler has missed 15 games this season, with the Heat posting a 4-11 record in those games. Miami is 24-15 when Butler has played.
Suns forward Jae Crowder did not turn in his best game against his former team.
Crowder finished Tuesday’s win with five points on 1-of-6 shooting on 3s, six rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.
Tuesday’s performance comes just one night after Crowder finished Monday’s win over the Houston Rockets with 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting on 3s. He entered Tuesday shooting 39.4% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game this season.
Crowder left the Heat to sign with the Suns in free agency this past offseason. Crowder said in March that he wanted to return to the Heat but “Miami had a plan and they stuck to it.”
Crowder, 30, opted to sign a three-year contract worth $29 million with the Suns. Miami’s offer to Crowder included a salary for this season in the $14 million range, according to a league source, and the Heat were unwilling to offer more than one guaranteed season because of their desire to preserve future cap space.
Crowder excelled alongside Bam Adebayo as the Heat’s starting small-ball four during last season’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, averaging 12 points while shooting 34.2% on 3s, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists last postseason. Crowder, who was traded to Miami in February 2020, started in each of the 21 games during Miami’s playoff run that ended just two wins away from a championship.
At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Crowder served as the Heat’s primary defender on Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during the playoffs.
There was mutual interest between the Heat and Crowder entering free agency, but they had two different plans. Miami did not want to offer more than one season of guaranteed money and Crowder was looking for long-term security.
After missing 10 consecutive games because of the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, KZ Okpala made his return Tuesday.
The second-year Heat forward played in his first game since the Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on March 19. Okpala entered with the Suns already comfortably ahead and 3:10 to play.
Okpala, 21, had found a consistent role off the bench before he went out last month. But it’s still to be determined if he’ll regain his spot in the rotation when he’s ready to play again since Miami recently added forwards Trevor Ariza and Nemanja Bjelica.
“It’s just good to have him back in the mix,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Okpala. “He has really missed being around the team. He was basically, because of a lot of circumstances, in the rotation. When he went out, there have been some changes since then. But he was able to go through a couple practices, a limited workout [Monday]. So we’ll get him back in shape and around the guys and getting comfortable again. It’s good to move forward with him.”
Victor Oladipo was the only Heat player who was not available for Tuesday’s contest. He did not travel with the team on the trip and missed his second straight game because of right knee soreness.
With Oladipo out, guard Kendrick Nunn again started alongside Duncan Robinson, Butler, Ariza and Adebayo. Nunn finished with eight points on 3-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes, as he was limited by foul trouble in the second half after picking up his fifth foul with 7:37 left in the third quarter.
The Heat’s bench rotation on Tuesday included Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Precious Achiuwa, Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica until Spoelstra emptied the bench late in the game.
This entire pandemic-altered schedule has included fewer off days than usual, but the Heat began one of their busiest stretches of the season in Phoenix.
Tuesday’s game marked the first of eight for the Heat in a 12-day span. Miami has three back-to-back sets during this stretch, including the one it’s in the middle of right now that ends Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
The good news for the Heat is they will have just two remaining back-to-backs on their schedule when they complete this hectic stretch.
With Tuesday’s loss to the Suns, the Heat are 4-10 in road games against teams that currently have a record above .500.
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