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Heat vs. Warriors Preview: Miami's Defensive Reset Moves to Chase Center
The Miami Heat head to San Francisco on Thursday night in search of something they have not found yet this season: a defense they can trust. Miami visits the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center with tip-off set for 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT), according to ESPN's game page, and this Heat vs. Warriors preview comes down to one question. Can a roster built around elite defenders finally play like one?
A quick note on timing. Miami's game at the Clippers tipped at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and its final box score was not yet confirmed in the official sources we rely on when this story was written. To keep everything accurate, every record and statistic below runs through Miami's 138-117 loss to the Lakers on Nov. 2, which left the Heat at 2-5. Our Heat vs. Clippers preview covers how that game was set up.
Heat vs. Warriors Preview: The Basics
Game: Miami Heat at Golden State Warriors, Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 p.m. ET.
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco.
Heat record entering the Clippers game: 2-5, per the Sun Sentinel.
What is left on the trip: Sacramento on Sunday and Utah next Tuesday, before a five-game homestand runs Nov. 13 through Nov. 22.
The Defensive Numbers Behind Miami's Slow Start
The Heat's problem is not hard to find in the data. Before the Lakers game, Miami ranked 27th in defensive rating, 27th in points allowed and 29th in opponent 3-point percentage, and opponents were making a league-high 17.3 threes per game, the Sun Sentinel reported. CBS Sports lists Miami at 118.1 points per game, ninth in the league, while allowing 123.9, which ranks 27th.
That gap works out to roughly 5.8 points per game in the wrong direction, even with a top-10 offense. In other words, this team is scoring enough to win. It is giving the points back.
Opposing stars have done most of the damage. Anthony Edwards scored 45 in the opener, Charlotte's Brandon Miller scored 34 and Dallas rookie Cooper Flagg scored 29. Then Luka Doncic dropped 42 on Monday, and the Lakers scored 79 first-half points, which tied the most Miami has allowed in a half in its 39 seasons, according to the same Sun Sentinel report.
Giannis, Bam and the Rebounding Question
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been everything the Heat hoped for individually. Through seven games he is averaging 28.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists, and he sits third in the NBA in rebounding. Bam Adebayo is at 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, and that rebounding figure is down from 10.0 last season and is his lowest per-game rate since 2018-19, the Sun Sentinel's rebounding report noted.
As a team, Miami ranks 22nd in rebounds per game and 23rd in offensive rebounds. Coach Erik Spoelstra said the group went into the season thinking it would be a great rebounding team, and he called the second-chance points Miami has surrendered "spirit-collapsing plays."
Here is our read: pairing two elite big men was supposed to solve the glass, but the Heat are staggering their minutes and have no true backup center, which leaves stretches where neither is protecting the rim. That is analysis, not a confirmed cause, but it is the lineup question to watch against a Warriors team that likes to move the ball and spray shots.
The Supporting Cast and Rotation Questions
Davion Mitchell has been a bright spot. Through seven games he is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 assists, with at least seven assists in five of them. Klay Thompson hit seven threes for 25 points against Indiana on Friday, and he added 19 on four triples against the Lakers, so his shooting has given the second unit real spacing. Pelle Larsson is averaging 11.4 points and 3.7 assists, according to CBS Sports.
Andrew Wiggins is the opposite story. He is averaging a career-worst 10.3 points and shooting 29.4 percent from three. On Monday, Spoelstra also tried rookie guard Ryan Conwell as his first guard off the bench before turning to Dru Smith and a zone in the second half. Expect Spoelstra to keep experimenting until the defense settles.
What Miami Is Saying
The tone in the locker room has been blunt. "We've got to have some pride," Antetokounmpo said after the Lakers loss. Adebayo added that nobody is going to come save the ship and that the group has to dig its own way out. Spoelstra took responsibility, saying he needs to do a better job of getting the group to defend to its potential.
Bobby Portis Jr. offered the long view. "It's not a 2K game," he said, arguing that six or seven new players need time to learn each other, per the Sun Sentinel. History offers some comfort. The 2010-11 Heat started 9-8 and finished 58-24, though that team still needed more tinkering before it won a title.
Warriors Test: Curry, Movement and the Three-Point Line
Golden State is the kind of opponent that exposes perimeter problems. On Monday, Stephen Curry scored 34 with seven assists in a 116-113 win over Phoenix, the Warriors' fifth straight victory, Yahoo Sports reported. Brandin Podziemski added 20, Charles Bassey had 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 16 points. Draymond Green was ejected in that game.
We have not seen Thursday's official injury reports, so lineup availability for both teams remains unconfirmed. On the Heat side, Antetokounmpo was dealing with a sprained right wrist and Myron Gardner with a quad contusion ahead of the Clippers game, while Smith was available with a facial laceration. Check the NBA's official injury report before tip-off.
What to Watch Thursday
Three-point defense: Miami allows a league-high 17.3 made threes per game. Closeouts and communication will matter more than scheme.
The first six minutes: The Lakers game started with early fouls on Antetokounmpo, Thompson, Mitchell and Portis. Staying out of foul trouble keeps the rotation intact.
Rebounding: Watch whether Adebayo and Antetokounmpo can finish possessions on the defensive glass.
The zone: Spoelstra turned to it in Los Angeles. Will it be a Plan B or a bigger part of the Heat's identity?
What Comes Next for Miami
Thursday is the third stop on a five-game Western swing. Sunday brings Sacramento and next Tuesday brings Utah, and then the Heat come home for five straight. A defensive turnaround in San Francisco would change the tone of the trip quickly. Another loss would make the homestand feel like a must-win stretch.
Catch up with our Lakers game recap, the story of Bam Adebayo's rebounding record and our Pacers recap for more on how this season has unfolded.
Follow Remix Sports Media for continuing Miami Heat news, Miami Heat game recaps and daily Miami Heat updates all season long. We will have full coverage after the Warriors game.
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