NBA
In Game 1 last night the Miami Heat attempted just two free throws, the fewest in a playoff game in NBA history
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated02 Jun 2023
Coming into Game 1 last night, the Miami Heat had won Game 1 on the road in each of their first three series. That streak came to an end vs the Denver Nuggets who outclassed the Heat from the jump. Both teams did not shoot well from deep last night, but the real disparity was free throws. In Game 1 the Miami Heat attempted just two free throws, the fewest in a playoff game in NBA history.
None of Miami’s starters took a free throw attempt last night in Game 1. The only player who attempted free throws was Haywood Highsmith off the bench. He did make both of his attempts, but the Nuggets were able to get to the line for 20 attempts as a team.
That is where the Heat lost the game last night. They had too many possessions that came up scoreless and the Nuggets piled on the points all game. Miami will look to have a bounce back in Game 2 on Sunday night.
The Heat attempted 2 free throws in Game 1, the fewest in a playoff game in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/o8z9uLkB1t
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2023
The Miami Heat need to regroup and be prepared for Game 2 on Sunday night
By halftime of Game 1, the Heat were already down 59-42 and that ballooned to a 83-64 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Heat were winning games in the Conference Finals by getting to the line and making three-pointers. Miami was struggling to do both of those last night.
Gabe Vincent had a nice game for the Heat with 19 points and a 5-10 shooting night from deep. However, Caleb Martin and Max Strus combined to go 1-11 from deep last night. Haywood Highsmith played 23 minutes off the bench last night and had 18 points.
Max Strus went 0-10 from the field last night and scored zero points. He did have 5 rebounds and 3 assists, but the Heat need his three-point production to win games. It was an overall poor performance and the final score doesn’t accurately represent how bad the score disparity was at times.
