They'll finish their four-game homestand against the Warriors on Monday. He's recorded 20-plus points in each of the previous four outings.Īt home, the Grizzlies beat the Bucks 127-102 Saturday. This season, Desmond Bane has established himself as a viable and efficient shooter, knocking down 46.0 percent of his attempts and averaging 18.2 points per game. Seventh-year guard Tyus Jones looks comfortable in the lead guard role with a couple of double-doubles in two of the last three contests. The Grizzlies have won their last four games with Morant on the sideline, averaging 128.5 points per game through that streak. Once again, they're playing well without their lead scorer. On Thursday, head coach Taylor Jenkins said the team will reevaluate him in two weeks.īetween November and December, Morant missed several games because of a sprained left knee, and the Grizzlies went 10-2 during that stretch. Guard Ja Morant Eric Christian Smith/Associated PressĪll-Star guard Ja Morant hasn't played since March 18 because of soreness in his right knee. Miami can salvage its four-game homestand with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday. That scenario could set up a tough second-round matchup with the Sixers. If the Heat continue to struggle, they could easily fall to fourth place in the East with the Celtics and Bucks only a half-game behind them in the standings. Going into that game, the Heat gave up the fifth-fewest points per contest (105.2), but they've allowed 110-plus points in each of their last four losses.Īside from the frustrations on the court, Spoelstra stepped away from the club before Saturday's outing to be with one of his two sons who underwent a medical procedure, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Bam Adebayo led Miami in scoring with just 14 points. On Saturday, Butler had a rough outing against the Nets, shooting 2-of-9 from the floor. 'I know how it could look on the outside, but as I mentioned before, that is more our language than playing without passion or without toughness or without multiple efforts.'Īre the Heat crumbling under the pressure? 'We got to play more consistently, and that's really all the discussions were,' Spoelstra said during the postgame press conference. The latter also had a heated exchange with head coach Erik Spoelstra.Īfter the game, Spoelstra downplayed the incidents and set his sights on bigger aspirations. With a 120-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat clinched the Southeast Division title on March 18, but since then, they've lost four consecutive games, which includes three defeats on their home floor.ĭuring a matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, tempers flared between team enforcer Udonis Haslem and forward Jimmy Butler. Winner of Play-In Tournament Game 1 at No.

Winner of Play-In Tournament Game 3 at No. Game 3: Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1

Game 3: Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1

2021 nba eastern conference standings