Heat's loss in Brooklyn raises concerns about their play on the road

The Miami Heat have been almost unbeatable when playing at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The road, however, has been nearly the opposite.

After losing 117-113 at the Brooklyn Nets Friday, they fell to 10-10 on the road. They are the only Eastern Conference team in the top four with double-digit losses away from home.

"I don't know what it is," forward Jimmy Butler told reporters after the loss. "Maybe we get comfortable thinking that we're a good team and start overlooking individuals, overlooking style points, overlooking teams as a whole. And good teams don't do that. Good teams just handle business home and away."

The positive is the Heat are still a league-best 17-1 at home this season. They play the New York Knicks Sunday at Madison Square Garden before returning home for one game Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Then it’s back on the road for a two-game trip at Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

The Nets loss upset coach Erik Spoelstra more than usual because of the team’s poor play. Butler led the team with 33 points but the offense sputtered late against Brooklyn’s zone defense.

“I’m going to keep it really short,” Spoelstra said after the game. “Not a whole lot to say. The Brooklyn Nets deserved to win this game. We got what we deserved.”

Even though the 27-11 Heat have the league’s third-best record, they are still experiencing growing pains because the youthful roster makeup. They start three players _ Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson _ 25 or under. Another key contributor, Tyler Herro, is only 19.

“This group has a great deal of confidence,” Spoelstra said. “I love that quality about our team because on the road it’s tough. It’s tough leaguewide and we’re still developing this necessary maturity to be consistent on the road.”

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