On January 3, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued to unfold, and the Heat challenged the Kings away. The Heat came up with a sluggish hand, the Kings had the upper hand, the second quarter of the Heat found the feel, the point difference narrowed, half-time behind 4 points; in the second half the Heat continued to chase points, the third quarter to complete the work to equalize, the last quarter of the two teams alternately led, fox at the critical moment Fox two free throws, Butler missed a draw throw. In the end, the Heat lost to the Kings 113-115, and the five-game winning streak was ended.
The Heat have been in very good shape lately, winning five straight and returning to the top four in the East. This time against the Kings, there are still many people in the team, Adebayo is absent due to injury, Tucker and Robinson trigger the health and safety agreement. But in this game, the Heat still had three people to score in double figures, and Yutsevin, who was on the inside line, had a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds on 11 of 18, which became the biggest surprise of the Heat's game; Hiro had 22 points and 5 rebounds on 8 of 23; Butler had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists of 9 of 22, but he missed the opportunity in the final moment.
In the final 6.2 seconds, Fox stepped onto the free throw line and made two free throws to help the team lead 115-113, and the Heat still had a chance. After returning, Butler arced the ball, he chose to break through to the inside line, first to get rid of Barnes, and then to light up Fox, before Damian Jones came to complete the throw, but unfortunately this time the frame came out, very regrettable. Missing this chance, Butler was also a little frustrated and returned to the dressing room with his head down.
The Kings also withstood the opponent's counterattack this time, and the team's core defender Fox also showed a big heart in the final moments, hitting 2 free throws steadily. Fox played 35 minutes, shooting 5-of-12 and 14-of-15 from the free throw line, with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and the number of free throw shots was also a new career high. Jones on the inside had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Hilde on the bench played well and was the key to the team's victory.
Hield played 33 minutes off the bench, shooting 9-of-18 and 7-of-14 from three-point range, a team-high 26 points, plus six rebounds and three assists. It seems that the substitute is still very suitable for him, but when he starts, his state is always sluggish.