The Heat have made NBA history for an unusual reason, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes.
Wednesday’s impressive road victory in Boston extended Miami’s winning streak to six games, with each triumph coming by double-digits. The Heat are the first team to accomplish that feat directly after a losing streak of at least 10 games.
“We’re just trying to take care of our business and continue to try to play well, compete hard, have this connectivity that’s growing as this season is going on and prepare,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “… Our locker room is alive. It’s been alive even when we were losing games just for this opportunity to compete, have these games matter and grow together through all of this stuff.”
Ending the Celtics’ own nine-game winning streak was a noteworthy accomplishment for the Heat, who also snapped a six-game regular season losing streak vs. the defending champions, Chiang notes.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- President Pat Riley famously challenged his players, particularly Jimmy Butler, to focus on availability after last season ended. Tyler Herro, who recorded 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and zero turnovers against Boston, took that message “to heart,” according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The first-time All-Star has appeared in a career-high 73 games in 2024/25. He said that reaching the 70-game threshold for the first time “feels really good” and is “meaningful,” but he hopes to achieve another goal too. “I’ve missed only three games this season,” Herro said. “My goal was to only miss four. So I’m there, hopefully. Got a couple more to go, but I’ve just got to keep playing, getting treatment and staying healthy and I want to play as many games as possible. I’ve never been a guy that wants to sit out.”
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a look at the team’s most valuable trade assets ahead of what could be a busy offseason, with up to seven players who could hit free agency and Herro among those eligible for extensions.
- Spoelstra appreciates the “tenacious” defense that Davion Mitchell and Haywood Highsmith bring to the second unit, Winderman writes for The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The two players sometimes battle to take on the opposing team’s best offensive player. “I let (Mitchell) get the first crack,” Highsmith said with a laugh. “And if he starts getting cooked, then it’s, ‘I got him.’ “We go back and forth.“