MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 100-88 loss to the Denver Nuggets:
– Erik Spoelstra addressed the issue head on short before the opening tip.
– The Miami Heat had to find a way to close.
– Again, they didn’t.
– After blowing double-digit leads in the first three games of this four-game losing streak, the Heat this time were the ones with the pushback.
– But when push came to shove, there again wasn’t enough to finish.
– “We felt that we were getting over that hurdle,” Spoelstra said pregame. “I think that was a little bit troubling for us earlier in the season. And it’s the ability to sustain a high level of play. We show that we can get to a high level of play. Competition will have something to say about that. We realize that. But the great teams can sustain it and also do it at the moments of truth.”
– Once again the Heat didn’t.
– As the trend continues.
– With a four-game trip up next.
– Fighting the good fight no longer is good enough.
– Not as the play-in round again looms.
– Good losses have left the building.
– It’s become a case of close . . . or perish,
– At least in the sense of seeding.
– The Heat again opened with a lineup of Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier.
– That lineup now is 3-5.
– By contrast, Denver’s starting lineup of Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray are now 32-9.
– Still out for the Heat were Tyler Herro and Kevin Love.
– They have been missed.
– Dearly.
– Spoelstra offered little insight into the foot issue keeping Herro out.
– “He’s making progress,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t have anything more for you. But he’s doing everything he needs to do.”
– Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin again entered together first off the Heat bench.
– Patty Mills followed.
– And then Thomas Bryant, who was back in the rotation.
– With Haywood Highsmith making it 10 deep.
– Spoelstra was asked pregame about the sense of urgency with a month to go in the regular season.
– “You’re going to feel a bunch of different emotions when the competition gets involved, the scoreboard gets involved, disappointing losses,” he said.
– He added, “We’ve got to put it all together. We understand the meaning of these games.”
– Nuggets coach Michael Malone entered wary of the three-game losing streak the Heat brought into the game.
– “We know what we’re in store for, with them having lost three games in a row,” he said.
– He added of last season’s NBA Finals opponent. “Our entire team has respect for who the Heat are.”
– Spoelstra was asked pregame of the challenge of a team to repeat as NBA champion, something the Nuggets are seeking and something Spoelstra’s team did in 2012 and ’13.
– “I don’t know if it’s different or not. It’s been too long for me to even articulate,” he said. “I’m probably the wrong guy to ask on what it’s like to try to repeat as a champion right now.”
– Denver entered having won 10 of the last 11 in the series, when including last season’s 4-1 run in the NBA Finals.
– Denver also entered 9-1 overall in its last 10,.