MIAMI – After the Miami Heat lost their sixth straight game on Friday night to the Boston Celtics, 103-91, it was another case of the game slipping through the team’s fingers because of a poor fourth quarter performance. With Heat stars Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo trying to turn around the team for a late playoff push, they spoke about what’s leading to multiple meltdowns.
It would be a tight game for most of the duration until the fourth quarter where against a top team like Boston, granted they missed Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis, Miami scored only 14 points. Herro would be asked about what the common thread is between many fourth quarter collapses and it’s as easy as not making shots.
“We just can’t score, gotta score the ball,” Herro said.
Tyler Herro was asked about the common themes with these fourth quarter meltdowns.
“We just can’t score…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/Hdo6AAO3ME
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 15, 2025
To some degree, Herro is correct as in the fourth quarter Friday, the Heat only made five of 20 attempts from the field and two of nine from deep. However, Adebayo would say it is the shots that the team “wanted” and you have to “live” with the looks at the ed of the day.
“Feel like we’re getting the shots we wanted, but they’re not going in,” Adebayo said. “When you get good looks, you got to live with that. At the end of the day, it is what it is. We just gotta figure out how we can, while we’re missing, also get stops.”
Bam Adebayo speaks on what is contributing to these downfalls in the fourth quarter. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/m9mSbHja8T
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 15, 2025
Heat’s Tyler Herro on the offensive performance in the fourth quarter
With the Heat looking to raise their spirits, a win over the Celics could’ve been exactly what the doctor ordered, but it would lead to another fourth quarter meltdown, though others had the team up by double-digits. While Boston is known for their offense, they’re also a top defense as Herro gives them credit for taking them out of “what we’re trying to get to.”
“Their defense is good,” Herro said. “In the fourth quarter, they were able to kind of take us out of what we were trying to get to. Just got to continue to stay with it, trying to figure out ways and solutions to score in the fourth.”
As Andrew Wiggins led the team with 23 points, Herro finished with 19 to go along with six assists and five rebounds. As for Adebayo, he only had nine points despite his offensive resurgence in recent times.
While Adebayo would speak on the offense before, he points to the defense as being a reason the game has gone away from them.
“I think it’s the defensive end, honestly,” Adebayo said. “You know, one night, we can’t get a stop one-on-one, the other night, second chance points, the other night is offensive rebounding. When we learn to check all three of those boxes every game, we’ll figure it out.”
Bam Adebayo would credit the defensive end as leading to the fourth quarter meltdowns. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/xIuc3oPv9q
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 15, 2025
After the loss to Boston, Miami has lost a season-high six straight with the last five all being on their home floor as it’s no doubt the roughest stretch of the season.
Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. on the “struggle” of overcoming the negatives
As Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra continues to adjust playing minutes, rotations, and lineups, it was a different starting unit than usual as rookie Kel’el Ware and newcomer Davion Mitchell were benched for Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson. The thought process was to battle the barrage of three-pointers from Boston, which came as the team attempted 50 of them, hitting on 19.
Jaquez would finish with 13 points on five of 10 shooting from the field, two of three from deep, to go with five rebounds and three assists. While the minutes have been sporadic amidst a season of regression, he has seen the down fourth quarter performances and said to ClutchPoints that Boston took advantage of their deficiencies.
“A lot of things,” Jaquez said. “I thought we played great three quarters of basketball. I think that’s been a theme of ours, you know, these past handful of games. You know, for us, I think going down the stretch, we just got to continue to get stops, as well as try to get great shots on offense, take care of the ball.”
“You know, when you’re playing a team like the Celtics, it’s tough,” Jaquez continued. “It’s tough when you turn the ball over, you can’t get stops in that fourth quarter, they really make you pay for those mistakes. So we as a team, we’re learning how to overcome those right now, and obviously it’s a struggle. But, you know, sticking together is the biggest thing right now and that’s what we’re doing.”
Asked Jaime Jaquez Jr. about what went wrong in the fourth as the game was tight for most of it.
“I thought we played great three quarters of basketball, I think that’s been a theme of ours…We’re learning how to overcome those right and obviously it’s a struggle…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/9twx0JMARP
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 15, 2025
At any rate, the team is now at 29-37, eight games under .500, which is the first time for the franchise since Feb. 14, 2017. In an effort to snap the six-game skid, the Heat face the Memphis Grizzlies Saturdy in the second game of the back-to-back.
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