This won\u2019t be a winning trip for the Miami Heat. But it doesn\u2019t have to be a losing one either. At 1-3 to begin this six-game stretch away from Miami, the Heat can still salvage the long road trip with a strong finish before returning home. The Heat (4-6) closes the trip with back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers (5-6) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network \u2014 Sun) and Sunday (5 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network \u2014 Sun). The Heat needs to win both games to avoid a losing trip and return home with a 3-3 record on the trip.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Heat earned a quality 95-94 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday behind a game-winning layup from Nikola Jovic with 7.8 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Heat then fell to the Detroit Pistons 123-121 in overtime on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena after Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout that the Heat didn\u2019t have with 1.1 seconds left in the overtime period. That resulted in a technical foul and the Pistons also retaining the ball, which led to Detroit\u2019s game-winning points. \u201cWe\u2019ll be better from all these experiences,\u201d Spoelstra said after the Heat\u2019s practice Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis. \u201cAs tough as it is in this league when you lose those, you just have to embrace all of it. We\u2019re in an incredible profession. That\u2019s what I love about it most. \u201cEven as horrible, as bad as I felt after the game, it\u2019s what makes you feel alive in this league when there\u2019s competition and there\u2019s consequences. If there wasn\u2019t consequences, you wouldn\u2019t feel the elation from great wins. But there\u2019s also the other side of it. We\u2019ve had two games where it was two totally different emotions.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll get better from it.\u201d But the Heat\u2019s margin for error continues to be even smaller than usual, with star Jimmy Butler set to miss his third straight game on Friday because of a sprained right ankle. Butler, who remains with the Heat in Indianapolis, sprained his ankle during Friday\u2019s loss to the Nuggets in Denver. \u201cI don\u2019t have an update,\u201d Spoelstra said Thursday when asked about Butler\u2019s status. \u201cBut he\u2019s definitely putting in the time<\/p>\n
. That work has been good for him.\u201d The Heat will also be without Josh Christopher and Keshad Johnson against the Pacers. Both players are currently in the G League as part of their two-way contracts with Miami. But the rest of the Heat\u2019s roster is expected to be available to play on Friday, including Jovic. Jovic, who exited Tuesday\u2019s loss to the Pistons midway through the first quarter with a nasal fracture and never returned, will wear a protective face mask to play against the Pacers on Friday.<\/p>\n
The mask specifically fitted for Jovic\u2019s face is expected to arrive in Indianapolis on Friday just hours before the game. It will mark the first time Jovic has ever played with a mask, noting the challenging of breathing and seeing while wearing a temporary mask for Thursday\u2019s practice. \u201cTo see my face and my nose going the other way, it was weird,\u201d Jovic said of watching a replay of his injury. \u201cGood thing they popped it back. It\u2019s a little broken, but I\u2019m good.\u201d With an opportunity to still salvage the trip, the Heat hopes it can bounce back like Jovic after Tuesday\u2019s rough night in Detroit.<\/p>\n
Two losses to the Pacers to close the trip would result in a disastrous 1-5 trip for the Heat, with Friday\u2019s matchup against the Pacers also representing the second of the Heat\u2019s four group-play games for the NBA\u2019s in-season tournament. The last time that the Heat finished a trip lasting five games or longer with no more than one win came during the 2019-20 season, when it closed a five-game trip in February 2020 at 1-4. \u201cWe need to do some more things defensively,\u201d Spoelstra said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing some trends that we can shore up that will really help our defense, and then you just make plays. Even if it\u2019s not pretty, even if it\u2019s not going well, even if everybody is not in a total rhythm, you just find a way to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
HAPPY THANKSGIVING<\/p>\n
Heat center Bam Adebayo and former Heat captain Udonis Haslem are teaming up to host a Thanksgiving event, \u201cFarmers Market Experience,\u201d on Wednesday in Liberty City. In partnership with Food Rescue US, the event will allow for community members to select fresh produce and Thanksgiving staples \u2014 all at no cost. \u201cThanksgiving is about community, gratitude, and giving back,\u201d Adebayo said in a press release. \u201cWe want to give people in Liberty City the opportunity to enjoy fresh, nutritious food and to bring their families together for a holiday meal they can be proud of.\u201d The event will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Samuel K Johnson Center for residents of Liberty City and surrounding neighborhoods, with registration required.<\/p>\n
SOMETHING NEW<\/p>\n
Heat broadcaster Jason Jackson announced that he and his JAXFilms content creation team have launched a YouTube channel for sports documentaries, features and shorts. Jackson previously produced a long-form documentary, \u201cJohnny Was Good,\u201d about one of his high school teammates. Jackson will serve as the executive producer and\/or director of the new projects. A few shorts about the NBA Cup have already been posted to the JAXFilmsLLC YouTube page. Another project is currently in the works that focuses on people who call games for a living and their backstories, titled \u201cVoices.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This won\u2019t be a winning trip for the Miami Heat. But it doesn\u2019t have to be a losing one either. At 1-3 to begin this six-game stretch… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n