Game ID: 22300522
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Miami Heat
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIA 35 34 27 24 120OKC 29 36 34 29 128
MIA vs OKC ScoutingMIA vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIA availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Lowry missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 24 min (87% of 28)
OUT Martin missed 2 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 4 since 12/22, returns tonight: 3 min (30% of 12)
BACK Butler III back 12/30 after 4, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 15 min since (73% of 20)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 19 min since (186% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Martin missed 3 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 4 since 12/25, returns tonight: 20 min (80% of 26)
BACK Butler III back 12/30 after 4, 23 min since (67% of 34)
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 11 min since (53% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (30% of 12)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 23 min since (226% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 38 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 4 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Highsmith missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 25 min since (90% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 20 min since (80% of 26)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 15 min since (75% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (30% of 12)
BACK Cain back 12/25 after 4, 18 min since (182% of 10)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 38 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Butler III missed 3 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 5 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Highsmith missed 3 since 1/01, returns tonight: 16 min (75% of 21)
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Jović back 12/28 after 9, 17 min since (84% of 20)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (23% of 12)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Cain 10 to 16 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 4 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 6 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 26 min since (102% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 16 min since (75% of 21)
BACK Bryant back 1/01 after 4, 3 min since (23% of 12)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 23 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 5 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Martin missed 7 since 12/28, returns tonight: 24 min (86% of 28)
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/01 after 2, 22 min since (80% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 25 min since (121% of 21)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 23 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Butler III missed 6 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Lowry missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 26 min (92% of 28)
OUT Bryant missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Martin back 1/12 after 7, 24 min since (86% of 28)
BACK Richardson back 1/03 after 4, 25 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 28 min since (131% of 21)
NEW Jaquez Jr. 28 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Jović 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Love 16 to 21 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Butler III missed 7 since 1/01, returns tonight: 40 min (119% of 34)
OUT Bryant missed 4 since 1/08, returns tonight: 5 min (43% of 12)
OUT Cain missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Lowry back 1/14 after 2, 26 min since (92% of 28)
BACK Martin back 1/12 after 7, 24 min since (87% of 28)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 28 min since (135% of 21)
NEW Jović 20 to 26 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Love missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 5 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Butler III back 1/15 after 7, 40 min since (119% of 34)
BACK Lowry back 1/14 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
BACK Martin back 1/12 after 7, 28 min since (99% of 28)
BACK Highsmith back 1/08 after 3, 25 min since (120% of 21)
BACK Bryant back 1/15 after 4, 5 min since (43% of 12)
NEW Jović 20 to 25 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 14 min since (117% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 13 min since (110% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/08 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 7 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 8 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 9 since 12/26, returns tonight: 23 min (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 23 min since (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 16 min since (154% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/16 · back-to-backBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 15 min since (144% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Adebayo at 23 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (4 straight), Martin (6 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 125, shooting 55 percent and 46 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 46 percent from three to Miami's 34 and the defense, Miami allowing 112 a night to OKC's 125. Call it OKC 117, Miami 116, Miami keeping it close.
1/01 @ LAC 104-121 — MIA notes
MIA lost 104-121. MIA shot 42% (35 of 83) to LAC's 59%, 11 of 34 from three, and went to the line 29 times to LAC's 14 — 23 points from the stripe to their 13. Adebayo led with 21 (6 of 17, 9 of 13 at the line); Love added 17, Jaquez Jr. 15. Q1 was theirs, 35-23, but the other 3 periods went 98-69 against them. They led by as many as 14. Herro's -29 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ LAL 110-96 — MIA notes
MIA won 110-96. MIA shot 44% (41 of 93) to LAL's 42%, 16 of 42 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAL's 24. MIA turned it over 8 times to LAL's 21. The glass went 39-50 against them. Herro led with 21 (7 of 19, 4 of 8 from three); Jaquez Jr. added 16, Adebayo 15. The hinge was Q4, 38-29: a lead of 5 became 14. Jaquez Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/05 @ PHX 97-113 — MIA notes
MIA lost 97-113. MIA shot 41% (34 of 83) to PHX's 51%, 10 of 37 from three. MIA turned it over 15 times to PHX's 9, and PHX turned those into 13 steals. Adebayo led with 28 (11 of 19, 6 of 7 at the line); Love added 20, Jaquez Jr. 10. Q4 was theirs, 22-19, the deficit cut from 19 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 94-75 against them. Herro's -25 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 vs HOU 120-113 — MIA notes
MIA won 120-113. MIA shot 50% (41 of 82) to HOU's 42%, 15 of 36 from three. Herro led with 28 (10 of 20, 5 of 10 from three); Adebayo added 22, Love 15. The hinge was Q3, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Adebayo was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/10 vs OKC 120-128 — MIA notes
MIA lost 120-128. MIA shot 46% (41 of 89) to OKC's 59%, 15 of 36 from three, and went to the line 28 times to OKC's 16 — 23 points from the stripe to their 12. Adebayo led with 25 (9 of 16, 7 of 7 at the line); Jaquez Jr. added 21, Highsmith 19. Q1 was theirs, 35-29, but the other 3 periods went 99-85 against them. They led by as many as 10. Richardson's -19 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/12 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 17 a game. Without Butler III (5 straight), Martin (7 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 19 a game. Without F. Wagner (3 straight), Carter Jr. (3 straight), Gar. Harris (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the arc, Orlando at 43 percent from three to Miami's 36 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 15 times a game to Miami's 11. Call it Miami 115, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/14 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Adebayo at 22 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (6 straight), Lowry (2 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Rozier at 25 and Bridges at 23 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Washington (3 straight), Martin (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been minus-2 a night and Charlotte minus-7 and the defense, Miami allowing 109 a night to Charlotte's 117. Call it Miami 116, Charlotte 107.
1/15 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Claxton at 14 a game. Without Simmons (31 straight), Clowney (7 straight), Wilson (3 straight). 3 days' rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Adebayo at 24 and Herro at 19 a game. Without Butler III (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 107 a night to Brooklyn's 117 and the arc, Miami at 37 percent from three to Brooklyn's 32. Call it Brooklyn 113, Miami 112, Miami keeping it close.
1/17 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 125, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Barrett at 22 and Siakam at 21 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Poeltl (4 straight), Freeman-Liberty (38 straight). One day's rest. Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Herro at 24 and Adebayo at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Love (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 104 a night to Toronto's 125 and the glass, where Miami has been plus-0 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it Miami 114, Toronto 113, Toronto keeping it close.
1/02 vs BOS 127-123 — OKC notes
OKC won 127-123. OKC shot 53% (48 of 91) to BOS's 46%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line 17 times to BOS's 29. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 36 (14 of 22, 3 of 5 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Giddey added 23, Jal. Williams 16. The hinge was Q3, 40-25: OKC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 18. OKC trailed 58-61 at the half and won the second half 69-62. Giddey was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
1/03 @ ATL 138-141 — OKC notes
OKC lost 138-141. OKC shot 55% (50 of 91) to ATL's 51%, 18 of 36 from three, and got to the line 26 times to ATL's 33. The glass went 37-49 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (11 of 24, 2 of 3 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Wallace 15. Q4 was theirs, 35-25, the deficit cut from 13 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 116-103 against them. Wallace's -16 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ BKN 115-124 — OKC notes
OKC lost 115-124. OKC shot 54% (45 of 84) to BKN's 45%, 9 of 31 from three, and got to the line 24 times to BKN's 33. The glass went 36-51 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (11 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 10 of 15 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Holmgren 17. Q4 was theirs, 36-23, the deficit cut from 22 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 101-79 against them. K. Williams's -12 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 @ WAS 136-128 — OKC notes
OKC won 136-128. OKC shot 59% (52 of 88) to WAS's 49%, 14 of 28 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (11 of 17, 2 of 3 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Holmgren added 31, Jal. Williams 21. The hinge was Q1, 36-30: from level to 6 ahead. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/10 @ MIA 128-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 128-120. OKC shot 59% (51 of 86) to MIA's 46%, 14 of 33 from three, and got to the line 16 times to MIA's 28. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 28 (11 of 17, 2 of 5 from three); Holmgren added 23, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q3, 34-27: OKC came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 3, and the lead reached 16. OKC trailed 65-69 at the half and won the second half 63-51. Micić was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/11 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 127, shooting 56 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Portland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 123, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Grant at 18 and Simons at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ayton (8 straight), Walker (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Portland's 34 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 123, Portland 112, OKC by 11.
1/13 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 118, shooting 57 percent and 42 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 31 and Suggs at 18 a game. Without F. Wagner (4 straight), Carter Jr. (4 straight), Gar. Harris (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 122, Orlando 113.
1/15 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 24 and James at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Vincent (12 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 110, shooting 55 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 110 a night to the Lakers' 124 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-1 a night and the Lakers minus-6. Call it OKC 121, the Lakers 115.
1/16 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Tucker (23 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 107, shooting 52 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 45 percent from three to OKC's 36. Call it the Clippers 117, OKC 115, OKC keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MIABA B. Adebayo
DR D. Robinson
HH H. Highsmith
JJ J. Jaquez Jr.
JR J. Richardson
JO Jovic
KL K. Love
NJ N. Jović
TH T. Herro
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
MI Micic
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
MIA/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 28 points, Thunder use runs of 17-0 and 13-0 to beat Heat 128-120
MIAMI -- — The season is nearing the halfway point, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are barely outside of the top spot in the Western Conference.
They're not impressed.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, Chet Holmgren added 23 and the Thunder used two big second-half runs to beat the Miami Heat 128-120 on Wednesday night.
At 25-11, Oklahoma City is off to its best 36-game start since 2015-16 — a season when Kevin Durant , Russell Westbrook and the Thunder wound up making the West finals.
“What's put us in this position is we've improved continuously,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We prepare for the next game. We execute as best we can. We do our best. We compete together. We understand it's not perfect and then we learn from the good, the bad. And we just rinse and repeat that 82 times ... wherever that lands us.”
The Thunder rode the strength of two big runs — a 13-0 spurt to open the third quarter, then a 17-0 run that started late in the third and extended five minutes into the fourth. Miami missed its first five shots of the second half, then missed 10 straight during the second Oklahoma City burst.
Jalen Williams finished with 19 points, a career-best 12 assists and nine rebounds, while Lu Dort scored 14 points and Isaiah Joe added 11. Oklahoma City beat Miami for the second time in the last 10 meetings.
“I think it was around the third quarter, the start of the fourth, we had a really big run defensively,” Williams said. “I think that kind of turned the tide in the game.”
Bam Adebayo led Miami with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Jaime Jaquez Jr . scored 21 points and Haywood Highsmith had a career-best 19.
Tyler Herro scored 17 points, Nikola Jovic added 15 and Kevin Love had 12 for the Heat. Miami used a late 10-0 run to get within six with 1:08 remaining, but wouldn't score again.
Miami used its 20th different starting lineup of the season, in only 37 games. Jimmy Butler (toe, foot) and Caleb Martin (ankle) remained out, and Kyle Lowry was out with the sprained left hand that he suffered Monday night against Houston.
Miami led 69-65 after a statistically odd first half, one where the Thunder shot 69.2% and didn’t lead. History said that shouldn’t have happened.
Since the NBA began logging play-by-play data digitally in 1996-97, there had been 130 instances of a team shooting 69.2% or better in a first half — and this was only the third time that a team shot that well in the opening 24 minutes but trailed at the break anyway.
The Thunder cooled off in the second half, but still finished the game shooting 59%.
“We should always be competing on defense,” Herro said. “When we’re missing shots we can’t let that affect our energy and effort on the other end.”