The Miami Heat just won one of the most bizarre national TV games of the season when they hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder and eked out a 1-point 111-112 win on the night. Miami struggled to score from open play, but they excelled at getting to the line at a historic rate.
The Heat was awarded 40 free throws on the night and miraculously made every single one en route to their 1-point win. Jimmy Butler was the star from the line, making 23 shots without a miss and ending the game with 37 points. Fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
We have enough. pic.twitter.com/pHNqJ4h7U0
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 11, 2023
Miami Heat tonight:
40 free throw attempts
40 free throw makes
The most free throws in a game on 100 FT% in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/hN3VuSAdf0
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 11, 2023
The Miami Heat have just set the NBA record for free throws made in a game without a miss (40).
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 11, 2023
JIMMY BUTLER'S AND-1 WINS THE GAME AND GIVES THE @MiamiHEAT A NEW NBA-RECORD OF 40 FREE THROWS WITHOUT A MISS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AZMDhUbWf8
— NBA (@NBA) January 11, 2023
The Heat won by 1 point. pic.twitter.com/goPO9jKkEs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 11, 2023
nothing better for the NBA product than a record-setting free throw game on national television.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 11, 2023
Jimmy Butler free throw montage live on TNT rn
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) January 11, 2023
Tough loss for OKC in its first national TV appearance. Couldn't close out the Heat, and also watched them go 40-40 from the free throw line.
– SGA: 26-4-4 (9-18 shooting)
– Giddey: 18-15-10
– K. Williams: 13 and 4 rebounds
– Dort: 11 and 8
– Jalen Williams: 12 and 5 assists
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 11, 2023
Put some respect on the most clutch player in the league pic.twitter.com/PtEjdVIehq
— JT (@JTsMVP) January 11, 2023
FREE THROW MERCHANT pic.twitter.com/WNKOUOQAlG
— The Jover (@305heatbuckets) January 11, 2023
— Randy (@_RandyIrving) January 11, 2023
Stan constantly calling him "Jimmy Free Throw" is killing me
— David Brandon (@birdrightsnba) January 11, 2023
Those of you who watched the Heat game tonight just witnessed the best free throw shooting night in NBA history
— ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@ClayJerry721) January 11, 2023
https://twitter.com/heatambassador/status/1612990014777966598
40/40 from the free throw line is actually insane, that’s a record that isn’t ever getting broken. wow
— coopz (@Coopz___) January 11, 2023
The Heat were a perfect NBA record 40 of 40 from the free throw line in 112-111 win over the Thunder. The Heat are the first team to make 40 free throws in a 1-point win since 1989 (Pacers went 41-49 against the Timberwolves). @ESPNStatsInfo pic.twitter.com/0HqUOUgtiq
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) January 11, 2023
The game also saw Dewayne Dedmon throw a massage gun onto the court while play was still active, getting into an argument with coach Erik Spoelstra on the bench. This was a fortunate win for the Heat, which struggled mightily against the 13th-seeded OKC Thunder.
Changes The Heat Needs To Make Before The Trade Deadline
Winning games because you received and converted 40 free throws is extremely impressive but not sustainable. The Heat needs to address questions around its offense, as it’s entirely reliant on either Tyler Herro or Jimmy Butler. Kyle Lowry hasn’t been the signing they hoped he would be, and the lack of frontcourt depth is severely impacting them.
The team is expected to make a trade before the deadline, but candidates aren’t exactly clear. They can swing big for a player like Zach LaVine, but with no pick equity, they’ll have to look toward the bargain bin. John Collins was a rumored target but the Hawks’ absurd asking price for Collins makes that unlikely.
The options are looking thin, so the Heat also have to hope that players like Bam Adebayo start giving them more productive play on the court.
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