The Miami Heat are 0-4, and the latest loss only deepened the mess. Miami fell 113-109 to the Dallas Mavericks, dropping three of its first four at home and leaving the early-season picture even murkier.
This one wasn’t nearly as ugly as the first three, and there were a few things Miami could point to afterward. The defense showed some improvement, the half-court offense moved with a little more rhythm, and Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the team more of the playmaking it needs from him. Even so, none of that was enough to save the night.
The biggest problem was still the same one that has hung over this start: the offense didn’t have enough to close it out. Miami went 13-for-41 from 3-point range, which is only 31%, but the free-throw line was a killer. The Heat finished 14-for-25 there, and that damage added up fast.
There were other numbers that told the same story. Miami was outrebounded by eight and coughed it up 14 times.
And in the box score, the shooting from several key names was hard to ignore. Bam Adebayo, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 6-for-23 overall and 3-for-16 from deep.
Andrew Wiggins added another rough night from outside, going 0-for-5 from 3. Put it all together, and Miami’s four best outside shooting threats finished 3-for-21 from beyond the arc. That’s not a recipe for many wins, and through four games, it’s been a recurring problem.
Bam’s night stood out for all the wrong reasons again. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 3-for-10 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. For a player expected to be one of the anchors of the team, that kind of performance was impossible to miss.
The frustration around Bam has only grown because this hasn’t been a one-night blip. Through four games, he’s averaging 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 23 percent from 3-point range. The source material also describes his defense as nightmarishly bad, and after another loss in a game Miami could have taken, the pressure around his play is only getting louder.
The Heat still had a chance in this one. They just didn’t do enough with it. And when one of the team’s supposed leaders is turning in another disaster class, the margin for error gets even smaller.
In Other News...
Heats 0-3 Start Could Force Spoelstra Into A Drastic Lineup Call
The Heats 0-3 start has already put Erik Spoelstra in an early-season bind, and the pressure is now shifting to the lineup card. Miami has not found the right rhythm with its starting five, and one possible fix under consideration is a surprising one, with Pelle Larsson emerging as a candidate to take Klay Thompsons place in the opening group.
Spoelstra has never shied away from making difficult calls when the roster needs a jolt, and this would count as one of them. It is still only a possibility, not a confirmed change, but the fact that it is even being discussed says plenty about where the Heat stand after three games and how quickly the search for answers has become the main story. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Just Added A New Pipeline Battle Fans Should Watch
The Skyforce added a guard-heavy class in the 2026-27 NBA G League draft, giving Miami another set of development names to track closely in Sioux Falls. Tyler Cochran went seventh overall, followed by Tyon Grant-Foster at fifteenth and Masai Olowokere at twenty-fifth, a group that brings a mix of college and pro experience to the Heats affiliate.
For Miami, the appeal goes beyond filling out a roster. Each of the three guards arrives with a reputation built around defense and versatility, traits the organization has long valued in its pipeline. How those skills translate once the G League season gets going will be worth watching, especially with the Skyforce once again serving as an important proving ground for future Heat depth. [Read more 🡒]
Heats New Core Already Facing Early Pressure To Respond
The early return on Miamis new-look core has been rough enough to raise questions before the season even has a chance to settle in. Through three straight losses, the Heat have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard by wide margins, and the issues have looked familiar in all the wrong ways: trouble on the glass, inconsistent scoring and a defense that has spent too much time chasing games from behind.
Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Tim Hardaway Jr. were all brought in or counted on to help steady the rotation, but none has yet provided the kind of impact Miami needs from its key pieces. It is still early, of course, but the Heat are already dealing with the kind of pressure that comes with trying to build chemistry on the fly while the losses pile up and the holes become impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]