The Miami Heat’s overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday was earned in dramatic fashion. With under one second left in the overtime period and the game knotted up at 138, big man Nikola Jovic completed a lob to forward Andrew Wiggins, and the latter slammed the ball through the net just in time to beat the final buzzer.
MIAMI WINS AT THE BUZZER pic.twitter.com/m1Ij6tNHOG
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) November 11, 2025
The game-winning play from the Heat has allegedly been in their back pocket for a long time, as it was devised by associate head coach Chris Quinn years ago. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra credited the out-of-bounds play to Quinn.
“Yeah, I mean obviously I’m super lucky to work for someone as humble as Spo, that gives credit to others, even though obviously he’s the major part of everything we do,” Quinn said. “Obviously, him and the rest of the coaching staff, we spend a lot of time throwing ideas off of each other. Certainly late-game execution is always a fun one, if you’re in a coaches’ meeting or a coach’s office.
“So these are things we’re always discussing with one another. And definitely grateful to be working for someone like Spo.”
Quinn said the play is a slightly modified version of an action he saw a while back.
“Essentially, like most plays, they’re a version of a play you saw somewhere else, you make small changes, either that you like or to fit personnel,” Quinn said.
“So we saw it years ago, and we kind of have tweaked it slightly, and use it in the right situations at the end of a game, when something like that is needed.”
He made it clear that the Heat have some late-game play calls “tucked away” and that they try their best to be prepared for all sorts of different situations in the clutch.
“I think it’s more the Heat specials,” Quinn said. “We have some tucked away. I think every year’s a learning experience. Some years we’ve been better in clutch situations than others. We’re always trying to grow and develop specifically in the offseason. And we come up with things that if we need a two, if we need a three, if we need a lob.
“Obviously whatever time is on the clock is of utmost importance, too. Point four, or maybe there’s five seconds, 10 seconds. These situations that happen all the time in the NBA. So we’re always trying our best to be the best at those situations.”
Spoelstra himself admitted that Quinn has been “very instrumental” in the Heat’s modus operandi on the offensive end so far in the 2025-26 regular season.
“Quinny has been very instrumental in our offensive plans this year and previous years,” Spoelstra said. “Quinny has been a major part of that the last few years, and he’s been a big part of what we’re doing this year.”
Quinn has been an assistant coach under Spoelstra dating all the way back to the 2016-17 season, and he was on the Heat’s coaching staff for multiple runs to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023.
His stellar out-of-bounds play on Monday helped the Heat pick up their third win in a row and snap the Cavaliers’ very own winning streak in the process. Cleveland had won four games in a row heading into Monday, but it came up just short of a victory despite 51 combined points from guard Donovan Mitchell and forward De’Andre Hunter.
Following the results of Monday’s game, the Heat have an identical record to a Cavs team that won 64 games last season at 7-4. Also, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons are the lone teams in the East with better records than Miami at this point.
The Heat can balloon their current winning streak to four games and beat the Cavaliers for the second time in a row when the two teams do battle once again on Wednesday night.