The Miami Heat will aim to get their season back on track Sunday when they visit the Sacramento Kings, a team searching for answers after matching a franchise record for its worst start through nine games.
Miami enters the matchup at 3-6 after losing 120-100 to the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Thursday. The defeat followed an encouraging overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Heat were unable to carry that momentum into the second night of a back-to-back set.
Giannis Antetokounmpo produced 20 points and 14 rebounds for Miami against Golden State, while Davion Mitchell added 22 points and eight assists. Bam Adebayo contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Heat struggled to generate consistent offense, shooting 40.7% from the field (35 of 86) and 29.5% from 3-point range (13 of 44).
“We didn’t have a lot of juice,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I’m not making any excuse on the back-to-back, but the Warriors just had a lot of juice, even in the paint. When we felt like we had some advantages in the paint, it ended up being a strip or a block or some kind of deflection that allowed them to get something in transition, break free a little bit.”
Defensive shortcomings have been a concern throughout Miami’s sluggish start. The Heat are off to their worst nine-game start since opening the 2016-17 season 2-7.
“We have a lot of guys with resumes, but resumes and a piece of paper don’t defend,” Spoelstra said. “It has to be actions. It has to be five people working together where you’re really putting your effort out there and on the same page. Being on the same page is just as important as the efforts.”
Miami will face a Sacramento team coming off a 124-109 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Kings fell to 1-8 — for the sixth time in franchise history — and have allowed at least 120 points in seven of their first nine games.
Rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. has been one of the few bright spots for the Kings. He tallied 22 points and eight assists against San Antonio. Domantas Sabonis added 17 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
Sacramento’s defensive struggles, however, have overshadowed the team’s offensive production. The Kings allowed 75 first-half points to the Spurs and have had difficulty avoiding foul trouble and protecting the glass.
“We need to be more connected,” Sacramento rookie guard Emanuel Sharp said. “If we’re helping each other, it’ll leave a lot of us out of isolated situations, which can lead to fouls.”
Kings coach Doug Christie acknowledged that injuries and lineup changes have made it difficult to establish consistency. Forward De’Andre Hunter (illness) did not play on Friday and is considered day-to-day, while forward Keegan Murray (left ankle capsulitis) and center Maxime Raynaud (right patellar subluxation) will be re-evaluated next week.
“You want to have healthy guys and have a rotation that you can say, ‘OK, I’m gonna settle on these guys,'” Christie said. “Unfortunately, since I’ve sat in this seat, it just hasn’t happened. All through last year and this year, we never started who we wanted to. But that doesn’t matter. We’re gonna figure it out.”
