Overview
- The Heat fell 132-125 to the Knicks, their seventh loss in eight games, as Jalen Brunson poured in 47 and Miami’s improved offense could not cover defensive leaks.
- Miami is 15-14 and just 1-4 in clutch contests during this eight-game stretch, underscoring late-game slippage.
- Erik Spoelstra called the current level "not enough" and stressed developing a collective, competitive will in what he described as a "savage league."
- Norman Powell, who scored 22, said the fix is extending the team’s best stretches into sustained 24–36 minute runs to keep the game in their favor.
- The skid features repeated defensive breakdowns and sliding metrics, including four of the season’s top nine opposing scoring nights and a December scoring rate of 112.8 points per game (21st), as Miami returns home to face Toronto on Tuesday.