The Miami Heat did more than just defeat the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. They “demoralized” them, according to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. In handing Golden State a 114-102 home loss, Miami led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. That is even more impressive when considering the fact the Heat were playing without Jimmy Butler (calf), Kyle Lowry (soreness), Caleb Martin (ankle) and Josh
For Miami on Thursday, Jamal Cain had 18 points, and Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. both had 17 points.
The game had to be especially depressing for the Warriors, who were hoping to turn things around on their home court following a difficult start to the 2023-24 NBA season. Golden State had won eight straight games at Chase Centre after dropping six of their first seven there. It also dropped below.500 with a 15-16 record after reaching over it with a five-game winning streak.
The Heat, on the other hand, improved to 19-12 with their seventh win in their last nine games. This included a 119-113 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day, in which Jaquez scored 31 points.
That play by the 22-year-old rookie, as well as Cain’s strong showing on Thursday, are just two more examples of how Miami’s roster is contributing. The Heat have risen to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference despite many injuries and a 1-4 start to the season.
They’ll aim to keep the momentum going following a comfortable win to start a five-game road trip against Western Conference clubs. They play the Utah Jazz next, followed by high-profile games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Phoenix Suns before returning home on January 8.
