Miami Heat start the season 0-1

Oct 19

The Heat started the season with a loss after being visited by the Derozan-led Bulls. Their 116-108 loss can be attributed to Derozan leading the Bulls with 37 points for the start of his 12th season. Ayo Dosunmu’s 17 points and Vucevic’s 15-point double-double also contributed to the win.

There was no answer for Derozan all night. He saw several different looks and matchups and seemed to burn everyone. Contested turnarounds and pull-ups were most of his diet, but the Heat couldn’t seem to slow him down.

A 37-point quarter from the Bulls seemed insurmountable after the Heat had led the entire half. Jimmy Butler led the way with his 24 points, 14 of them coming from the free-throw line. He hunted his shot all game, opting to score or get to the basket every time he got the ball. From now on, the Heat will need that all season without the top-end talent that’s found across the NBA.

Tyler Herro started his anticipated senior season with 23 points, hitting four threes and leading with 11 points at the half. The Heat got off running with 17 points off of turnovers and eight fastbreak points, but once the Bulls made fewer mistakes in the second half, the offense choked up and stalled out.

Despite a lack of outgoing creation on the bench, Strus contributed 22 points of his own, leading the bench unit. They were solid all night, playing hard on both ends of the floor, but without your starters getting the job done, it’s impossible to get wins in the NBA.

Statistically, the Heat starters seemed to do more harm than good, with an average +/- of minus-13 on the night. The Bulls were disruptive with 12 steals and six blocks, never letting the Heat get an easy shot or letting the offense get going.

Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo didn’t have as great of a start as we all hoped, combining for nine points on the night. Adebayo never seemed to get comfortable after a 5-for-15 night, struggling against his matchup in Vucevic. Adebayo was also picked for five turnovers to lead not only the starters but the team as well. Lowry struggled to create for himself, opting in for off-the-dribble threes and contested looks at the rim with a single layup in the third, the only shot he hit all night.

No single stat can explain the loss tonight. However, a third-quarter run had seemed to bury the Heat, and they didn’t have any answers to get dug out. The Bulls had missed out on their secondary scorer in Zach Lavine, and their main distributor in Lonzo Ball.

It’s the beginning of the season, so there is no need to worry yet, but with a challenging schedule, this couldn’t have been the start they wanted or expected.