{"id":45279,"date":"2025-03-21T07:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45279"},"modified":"2025-03-21T07:04:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:04:25","slug":"southeast-notes-heat-wiggins-da-silva-wizards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=45279","title":{"rendered":"Southeast Notes: Heat, Wiggins, Da Silva, Wizards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Southeast<\/p>\n
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The Heat<\/strong> are on pace to finish with one of their worst seasons in franchise history (impressively, their .420 win percentage would be good for seventh-worst). Part of the struggles this season stem from their issues to close games in the fourth quarter, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.<\/p>\n

Miami owns the third-worst record in clutch games at 13-23 this season. As a result, the Heat have dropped nine games in a row and are 11 games under .500 with only 13 contests to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the thing that we\u2019ve been racking our time, our brains, everything, trying to find solutions for that,<\/em>\u201d coach Erik Spoelstra<\/strong> said about the late-game issues. \u201cWe have not come up with solutions, and we\u2019ve pretty much tried everything. This has been one of the biggest challenges of a regular season that I\u2019ve been a part of.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami has blown a double-digit lead in 19 of their losses and have squandered a fourth-quarter lead in 17 losses, a league high.<\/p>\n

One key difference between the Heat\u2019s performance in the clutch this season versus the last few is the trade of Jimmy Butler<\/strong>, Chiang writes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s part of it,<\/em>\u201d forward Duncan Robinson<\/strong> said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not necessarily new to the deadline. We\u2019ve kind of been dealing with that for a while. So I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s as much adjusting to that. I think it\u2019s been different things in different games. Good teams find a way to win, so we got to just start figuring out ways. It\u2019s going to look different on different nights. But it\u2019s more so just about building that resolve on both ends of the floor. These are painful steps, but there have been steps in the right direction.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Chiang, Tyler Herro<\/strong> and Bam Adebayo<\/strong> said they\u2019re still working to pick up the pieces and the offensive load in the fourth quarter in the wake of the trade. The Heat are still likely to make the play-in tournament, being 5.0 games ahead of the Raptors for 10th in the East.<\/p>\n

We have more from the Southeast Division:<\/p>\n