Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches his team play against the Boston Celtics in the first half of their NBA game at the Kaseya Center on Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
The first half of the Miami Heat’s schedule ended with one of its most painful losses of the season. But the second half of the Heat’s schedule began with one of its best wins of the season.
It’s been that type of season full of ups and downs for the Heat, which wasted a double-digit fourth-quarter lead in a frustrating home loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday to reach the midway point of the season at a middling 21-20 before bouncing back to defeat the defending NBA champion and league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center despite missing three rotation players in Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Davion Mitchell because of injuries.
While the Heat already has bad losses to some of the NBA’s worst teams this season like defeats at the hands of the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings, the Heat (22-20) also now has wins over the team with the Western Conference’s top record in the Thunder and the team with the Eastern Conference’s top record in the Detroit Pistons this season.
“The thing about this team is we can beat anybody and we can lose anybody,” Heat guard Norman Powell said. “It’s all about our mentality and our approach and being collective.”
Powell revealed the Heat has a specific goal it’s reaching for during the second half of the season after coach Erik Spoelstra showed the team a stat from last season.
“We have a goal in mind,” Powell said, with the Heat now embarking on a five-game West Coast trip that begins Monday against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco (10 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “Coach gave us a stat from last year, and we want to reach that. Definitely felt a little let down after the Boston game. But the way we came together in between the games and talked about it, watched film, I thought we came out and set the right tone and played to our identity.
“We were able to sustain our identity offensively, defensively, throughout the course of the game [against the Thunder], no matter what run they went on, what call went their way or didn’t go our way. We were mentally tough. We stood together.”
What’s the stat that Spoelstra showed the team?
“That’s between us. That’s internal, something that we want to reach for,” Powell said following Saturday’s victory over the Thunder. “And I think we can do. ... Everybody bought in, whether you’re getting the minutes or not, whether it’s your night, whether you’re getting the shots or not. We got to be a team that’s collectively making plays to help win us the game. Some nights it’s not going to be yours and some nights it is. But as long as we’re pulling in the right direction, pouring encouragement and confidence into everybody that’s coming in the game and everybody is making winning plays and sacrifice plays, that’s what it’s about. And I think we found a blueprint, and we know the blueprint, and it’s on us to sustain it.”
Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Miami Heat celebrates a basket with Norman Powell #24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Kaseya Center on January 17, 2026 in Miami. Carmen Mandato Getty Images
Despite the Heat’s mediocre record during the first half of the season and sitting in eighth place in the East, Spoelstra spoke before Saturday’s win over the Thunder about the “great potential” he sees. The Heat enters Sunday with the NBA’s 19th-ranked offensive rating and seventh-ranked defensive rating this season.
“I think we have an opportunity for this to really start to click,” Spoelstra said. “We’re all a little bit disappointed in where our standing and where our record is right now. But we have an opportunity with the second half of the season to make amends for that.”
Now, Heat players have to buy into Spoelstra’s message.
“For us, it’s just really manifesting and buying into what coach is preaching,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said after recording 30 points and 12 rebounds while making a career-high six threes in Saturday’s win over the Thunder. “And that’s what really got us this win. Him, and he’s a maniac. He’s not going to stop. He’s going to keep saying it until, like, everybody buys in. And you want a coach like that. He cares about the small details. He cares about the way our offense looks. He cares about how we give effort on defense. And when you buy in, you get gratifying wins like this. This is not because we played a certain game. It’s really because we bought into what he was preaching.”
Even with Thursday’s loss to the Celtics preventing the Heat from going 3-0 on its homestand that ended at 2-1 following Saturday’s win over the Thunder, Spoelstra is encouraged by how the team responded to its winless three-game trip from earlier this month.
“As a coach, sometimes you have a gut feel for something,” Spoelstra said following Saturday’s victory. “When we came back from that disappointing road trip, that’s when you felt a competitive will to commit to do whatever is necessary. That doesn’t guarantee wins. I mean, obviously, we lost a heartbreaker to Boston. This could have easily gone a different way. But all three of these games, you see a Miami Heat competitive collective will out there. And that for sure, we’ll build on. It’s a great opportunity in front of us. We have a whole second half of the season to go. This should set up to be a lot of fun.”