The Miami Heat lose a tough one to the Brooklyn Nets

Jimmy Butler does not get the foul call on his late attempt and the Miami Heat lose 102-101 to the Brooklyn Nets in heartbreaking fashion. Miami got some great contributions across the board, but were unable to find any rhythm down the stretch to fall to 21-20.

I'm going to get this out of the way right off the bat. The missed foul call at the end of the game did not cost the Miami Heat this game. It was 100% a foul and even if the L2M report say's otherwise you won't change my mind on it, but when you struggle to execute offensively down the stretch the way they did you put yourself in a position where you give the referees the power to decide the game. That's exactly what happened here and the Heat lost another clutch game as a result.

This will definitely be a hard loss to accept, but the Heat competed with the Nets from start to finish and were in position to win. Jimmy was a big part of that as he finished the night with 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting to go with eight rebounds and two steals. His defense on Kevin Durant was solid throughout the night as he was constantly poking the ball loose and using his strength to make things as uncomfortable as possible for the superstar. That final play was tough as it looked like Jimmy was looking for contact instead of just trying to make the bucket, but even he admitted that he should have made that bucket. In the end, would have liked to see him take over a bit more down the stretch when it was clear that Miami needed him, but still an overall solid game.

Popular opinion: Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo should be the starting backcourt moving forward. Even with Oladipo going just 2-of-10 from the field his impact on the court is dramatically better than the current starting point guard, Kyle Lowry. He does not have it anymore and should be coming off the bench to settle things down for the 2nd unit. Lowry scored four points on 2-of-10 shooting to go with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers. He gave Miami nothing in the 2nd half (0 points, 0 assists, 1 turnover) and even with his solid defensive plays in this one we need more from one of our highest paid players. Now, it won't be easy putting a player they are paying $28 million a season on the bench, but at this point of a season that has been as inconsistent as its been, it has to be done. The chemistry between Herro and Oladipo is there and the on/off numbers for the Butler, Herro, Oladipo and Bam Adebayo minutes are eye popping. Stop beating around the bush and put him on the bench.

Herro finished the night with 24 points on 9-of-21 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He also had some solid defensive possessions when the Nets were clearly trying to expose him. As mentioned earlier, Oladipo didn't have the best scoring night but he still had eight points, six assists, two rebounds, three steals and a block; showing that two-way prowess we've grown to expect from him of late. With Brooklyn finding momentum at the end of the third quarter it was Herro and Oladipo who gave Miami a surge in the fourth quarter with Bam and Jimmy on the bench. Oladipo showcased his defense and playmaking (two steals, two assists) while Herro provided the scoring (11 points). Need more of this moving forward and though Herro took a nasty spill at the end of the game he spoke to the media after the game and said he was fine. I expect the team to have him listed as "day to' day".

Speaking of injuries, what happened to Bam Adebayo? The start of this game looked great for him as he was getting to his usual spots and making the Nets pay in the middle of the floor. However, as the game went on Nic Claxton started to outshine him. Specifically on the defensive end. Bam had his hand wrapped up in the locker room so it's clear that he picked up a hand injury at some point in the second half. He finished with just 10 points on an uncharacteristic 5-of-15 shooting to go with eight rebounds, two assists, one block and a team worst -25. Can't remember the last time Bam had the worst +/- on the team, but he has had so much on his plate this season that injuries are expected at some point.

Orlando Robinson is the Miami Heat's back up five, even if coach Spo doesn't fully know it yet. Anyone with eyes can see the difference he makes on the floor compared to "The Mechanic" Dewayne Dedmon. Robinson's length strengthens Miami's interior defense and rebounding, two of their biggest weaknesses. He finished with a team-high nine rebounds, six points, two assists and a team best +24 in his 19 minutes of action. One thing about Robinson that stands out to me is his instincts as a passer. If he has the space, he rarely takes too much time to make the right play and that bounce pass to Jimmy late in the game for the dunk is exactly what I'm talking about. As for the rest of the bench, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent had it cooking early as they scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, but that didn't last long as they struggled to find any consistency in the second half.

Overall, this was a fun game to watch from start to finish. Our team competed with the hottest team in the NBA and had multiple chances to win the game with their most impactful player sitting with an injury. Of course, the Nets were without Durant for most of the second half, but they have a player in Kyrie, who is able to replicate some of what KD can do offensively as he scored a game-high 29 points to go with six assists. Heat don't have anyone that can provide them the two-way production Bam gives them night in and night out.

Next, Miami will look to get back on track as they face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, January 10th at 7:30 PM EST. Bam and Tyler injuries aside, this is a game that Miami needs to win with the schedule getting tougher from this point on.