Since their current losing skid, the Miami Heat have changed the defensive narrative.
The Miami Heat have improved their defensive performance to snap a seven-game losing streak.
After going through their longest losing streak of the season, the Heat have won three of their last four games. They won 121-95 against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
What, though, has the Heat done differently in the last four games to change the course of events? They have taken a number of defensive stances.
“I think any coach would like to see some extended periods of time where your team is committed to doing some tough things defensively,” Erik Spoelstra, the Heat’s coach, said. “That’s four games in a row where we’ve looked a lot more consistently and closer to our identity defensively.”
During the last four games, the Heat limited their opponents to an average of 101.5 points. Moreover, over that time, teams’ 3-point percentage has only been 31%. This is a step up from the opponents’ average of 118 points and 43 percent shooting during the team’s seven-game losing streak.
Additionally, the Heat are pressuring more errors. On Tuesday, the Magic committed 18 turnovers, compared to the Clippers’ 15 on Sunday. Their average turnover rate has increased by 1.1 during the past four games, from 11.4 during the losing run to 12.5.
It has helped better defend star players. Magic forward Paola Banchero had 23 points but shot 7 of 16 from the field. The Washington Wizards combo of Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole combined to make 11 of 37 from the field. Sacramento Kings high-scoring guard De’Aaron Fox was held to 13 points on 25 percent shooting.
“It starts with defensive activity,” Spoelstra said. “The physicality, doing things with force and focus and let
ting some offense feed off of that defenses while we’re working through things. We definitely had some transition opportunities off of defensive stops. We looked fast out there.”
