Game ID: 22300914
Miami Heat @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday, March 8, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 27 20 30 30 107MIA 29 28 16 27 100
MIA @ OKC ScoutingMIA @ 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.
OKC availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/03 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 5 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/04 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Jay. Williams missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 7 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Jay. Williams missed 3 since 3/03, returns tonight: 17 min (132% of 13)
OUT Dieng missed 8 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 9 since 2/22, returns tonight: 12 min (119% of 10)
BACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 17 min since (132% of 13)
OKC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restBACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 15 min since (115% of 13)
BACK Dieng back 3/10 after 9, 12 min since (119% of 10)
OKC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 12 min since (95% of 13)
BACK Dieng back 3/10 after 9, 12 min since (119% of 10)
OKC availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Jay. Williams back 3/08 after 3, 12 min since (90% of 13)
NEW Hayward 15 to 21 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 2 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 5 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 10 since 2/02, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 3 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Butler III back 2/23 after 3, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Rozier back 2/27 after 4, 30 min since (96% of 32)
NEW Robinson 27 to 32 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 3 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 6 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 11 since 2/02, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 4 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Butler III back 2/23 after 3, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Rozier back 2/27 after 4, 32 min since (100% of 32)
NEW Robinson 27 to 34 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Herro missed 4 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 7 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Love missed 2 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 12 since 2/02, returns tonight: 5 min (46% of 12)
OUT Cain missed 5 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Butler III back 2/23 after 3, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Rozier back 2/27 after 4, 32 min since (101% of 32)
NEW Robinson 27 to 35 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 5 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 8 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Love missed 3 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 6 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 2/27 after 4, 32 min since (101% of 32)
BACK Bryant back 3/05 after 12, 5 min since (46% of 12)
NEW Robinson 27 to 36 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/08 · back-to-backOUT Herro missed 6 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 9 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 3 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Love missed 4 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 7 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Rozier back 2/27 after 4, 33 min since (106% of 32)
BACK Bryant back 3/05 after 12, 8 min since (69% of 12)
NEW Robinson 27 to 34 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 7 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 10 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 4 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Love missed 5 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 8 since 2/23, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 3/05 after 12, 8 min since (69% of 12)
NEW Robinson 27 to 33 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/13 · 2 days' restOUT Herro missed 8 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 11 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 5 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Love missed 6 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 14 min (119% of 12)
OUT Cain missed 9 since 2/23, out tonight
NEW Robinson 27 to 32 min over the last 5
MIA availability going into 3/15 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 9 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 12 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 6 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Love missed 7 since 2/29, out tonight
OUT Cain missed 10 since 2/23, returns tonight: 1 min (11% of 10)
BACK Bryant back 3/05 after 12, 10 min since (86% of 12)
MIA availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Herro missed 10 since 2/26, out tonight
OUT Richardson missed 13 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 7 since 3/02, returns tonight: 21 min (95% of 22)
OUT Love missed 8 since 2/29, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 3/13 after 2, 15 min since (134% of 12)
BACK Cain back 3/15 after 10, 1 min since (11% of 10)
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 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. One day's rest. Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Butler III at 24 and Rozier at 19 a game. Without Herro (6 straight), Richardson (9 straight), Wright (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Miami at 42 percent from three to OKC's 35 and the defense, Miami allowing 109 a night to OKC's 115. Call it OKC 116, Miami 110.
2/29 @ SAS 118-132 — OKC notes
OKC lost 118-132. OKC shot 49% (44 of 89) to SAS's 53%, 9 of 31 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (12 of 22, 6 of 7 at the line); Jal. Williams added 26, Holmgren 23. Q3 was theirs, 32-29, the deficit cut from 5 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 103-86 against them. Dort's -17 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/03 @ PHX 118-110 — OKC notes
OKC won 118-110. OKC shot 48% (49 of 102) to PHX's 44%, 9 of 31 from three. OKC turned it over 5 times to PHX's 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (15 of 27, 0 of 5 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); J. Williams added 22, Holmgren 14. The hinge was Q2, 38-28: a lead of 4 became 14, and the lead reached 24. Wiggins was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/04 @ LAL 104-116 — OKC notes
OKC lost 104-116. OKC took 14 more shots (94 to 80), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to LAL's 51%, 15 of 39 from three, and got to the line 16 times to LAL's 25. OKC turned it over 10 times to LAL's 20. The glass went 38-55 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 20 (5 of 13, 9 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 15, Dort 15. Q4 was theirs, 32-27, the deficit cut from 17 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 89-72 against them. They led by as many as 12. Wiggins's -16 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 @ POR 128-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 128-120. OKC shot 58% (43 of 74) to POR's 51%, 9 of 22 from three, and went to the line 39 times to POR's 27 — 33 points from the stripe to their 24. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (13 of 23, 0 of 3 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); J. Williams added 31, Holmgren 21. The hinge was Q1, 32-27: from level to 5 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
3/08 vs MIA 107-100 — OKC notes
OKC won 107-100. OKC shot 47% (42 of 89) to MIA's 46%, 12 of 38 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (13 of 25, 2 of 7 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 15, Giddey 11. The hinge was Q3, 30-16: OKC came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 4. OKC trailed 47-57 at the half and won the second half 60-43. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/10 vs MEM — 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 115 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Kennard at 15 and LaRavia at 15 a game. Without Bane (26 straight), Pippen Jr. (10 straight), Williams (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 18 times a game to OKC's 10 and the defense, Memphis allowing 108 a night to OKC's 116. Call it OKC 115, Memphis 108.
3/12 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 18 and Mathurin at 15 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where Indiana takes 24 free throws a game to OKC's 18 and the defense, OKC allowing 108 a night to Indiana's 115. Call it OKC 120, Indiana 113.
3/14 vs DAL — 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 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 15 a game. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 112, shooting 52 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 32 and Irving at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 39 percent from three to Dallas's 33. Call it OKC 118, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
3/16 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 22 and Jackson at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Bane (29 straight), Jackson Jr. (2 straight), Williams Jr. (3 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, OKC at 39 percent from three to Memphis's 34. Call it OKC 114, Memphis 109.
2/29 @ DEN 97-103 — MIA notes
MIA lost 97-103. MIA shot 42% (35 of 83) to DEN's 43%, 7 of 26 from three. Adebayo led with 22 (8 of 18, 6 of 6 at the line); Butler III added 21, Rozier 19. Q2 was theirs, 31-20, the deficit cut from 16 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 83-66 against them. Jović's -16 in 25 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 vs UTA 126-120 — MIA notes
MIA won 126-120. MIA shot 52% (46 of 88) to UTA's 48%, 13 of 34 from three. Butler III led with 37 (12 of 19, 3 of 3 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Adebayo added 23, Martin 18. The hinge was Q4, 36-30: from level to 6 ahead. MIA trailed 58-62 at the half and won the second half 68-58. Butler III was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/05 vs DET 118-110 — MIA notes
MIA won 118-110. MIA shot 49% (42 of 85) to DET's 44%, 14 of 31 from three. Butler III led with 26 (7 of 13, 1 of 3 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); D. Robinson added 18, Adebayo 18. The hinge was Q1, 36-26: from level to 10 ahead. D. Robinson was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
3/07 @ DAL 108-114 — MIA notes
MIA lost 108-114. MIA shot 49% (40 of 82) to DAL's 46%, 17 of 38 from three, and got to the line 17 times to DAL's 23. Rozier led with 27 (10 of 17, 5 of 8 from three); Robinson added 19, Butler III 14. Q1 was theirs, 36-28, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 15.
3/08 @ OKC 100-107 — MIA notes
MIA lost 100-107. MIA shot 46% (38 of 82) to OKC's 47%, 11 of 29 from three. Jaquez Jr. led with 25 (10 of 13, 1 of 3 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Butler III added 20, Rozier 14. Q2 was theirs, 28-20, but the other 3 periods went 87-72 against them. They led by as many as 14. Rozier's -20 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/10 vs WAS — 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 111, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Butler III at 24 and Rozier at 18 a game. Without Herro (7 straight), Richardson (10 straight), Wright (4 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 124, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 26 and Poole at 25 a game. Without Bagley III (2 straight), Champagnie (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 111 a night to Washington's 124 and the arc, Miami at 39 percent from three to Washington's 34. Call it Miami 118, Washington 112.
3/13 vs DEN — 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 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Butler III at 24 and Rozier at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Herro (8 straight), Richardson (11 straight), Wright (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 15 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Miami 114, Denver 113, Denver keeping it close.
3/15 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Cunningham at 26 and Ivey at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 15 a night. Without Thompson (2 straight), Evbuomwan (8 straight), Brown Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest. Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Rozier at 18 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Herro (9 straight), Richardson (12 straight), Wright (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Detroit has been plus-15 a night and Miami plus-0 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 17 times a game to Miami's 10. Call it Detroit 113, Miami 111, Miami keeping it close.
3/17 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Cunningham at 23 and Ivey at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 16 a night. Without Brown Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Rozier at 18 and Butler III at 17 a game. Without Herro (10 straight), Richardson (13 straight), Wright (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Detroit has been plus-16 a night and Miami minus-0 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 18 times a game to Miami's 10. Call it Detroit 111, Miami 110, Miami keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
GH G. Hayward
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
MIABA B. Adebayo
BU Butler
CM C. Martin
DR D. Robinson
HH H. Highsmith
JB J. Butler III
JJ J. Jaquez Jr.
JO Jovic
NJ N. Jović
PM P. Mills
TR T. Rozier
OKC/MIA 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 has big 2nd half to help Thunder rally past Heat, 107-100
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 of his 37 points in the second half and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the Miami Heat 107-100 and take the Western Conference lead Friday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 13 of 25 field goals and 9 of 11 free throws. The NBA's No. 2 scorer was greeted with “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants when he went to the line in the fourth quarter as he helped Oklahoma City take control.
The Thunder moved a half-game ahead of Minnesota for the West lead, with the Timberwolves falling in overtime at Cleveland.
Some of Gilgeous-Alexander's shots were taken from awkward angles. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the All-Star has gotten better at figuring out when to take those kinds of shots.
“The shot making is great," Daigneault said. "He’s had the talent from day one. But what I’m most impressed with is the restraint he’s showing and the his ability to see the big picture, to leverage that talent for the good of the team while he’s still trying to accomplish individual things.”
Jalen Williams scored 15 points and Josh Giddey added 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander said his teammates deserve credit, too.
“We have guys like that across the board that do the little things that add up at the end of the night ... Everybody has a role and on this team everyone takes pride and does their role to the best of their ability," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And that’s what I love about them.”
Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr . scored 25 points. Jimmy Butler added 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Bam Adebayo finished with just five points, though he grabbed 10 rebounds.
Miami lost both games of its back-to-back. The Heat lost 114-108 at Dallas on Thursday night.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team remains on track, despite the losses.
“We’ll get better from this,” Spoelstra said. “There were a lot of good things to take away. None of us want to talk about it or feel that or whatever right now because we’re competitors. But by the time we get back to Miami, even the head coach can see that there are some good things happening in our locker room.”
Miami led Oklahoma City 57-47 at halftime behind 50% shooting. Jaquez scored 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting before the break.
The Heat extended the lead to 65-51 the third quarter, but Oklahoma City erased its deficit four minutes later. Gilgeous-Alexander tied it at 65 on a free throw after a basket midway through the period. The Thunder took a 68-65 lead on a 3-pointer by Williams that Gilgeous-Alexander assisted to close out a 17-0 run.
The Thunder led 77-73 at the end of the third after holding Miami to 5-for-17 shooting in the period. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points in the quarter to help Oklahoma City outscore Miami 30-16.
Gilgeous-Alexander took his usual rest to start the fourth, and Oklahoma City led 87-85 when he subbed back in with 7:16 remaining. He scored 12 points the rest of the way to keep the Thunder in control.
Daigneault said the win meant a little more than usual because of the opponent.
“They’re the competitive standard of the NBA, and so we have great respect for them and we know how much you have to earn a win against them,” Daigneault said. “So we’re really happy with that win.”