Miami Heat start road trip with loss even as Warriors' Butler gets hurt

The Miami Heat are eyeing down a five game road trip at the moment, starting with a back to back that began with the Golden State Warriors.

The Heat got back Jaime Jaquez Jr and Davion Mitchell tonight, while Tyler Herro is prepared to miss some more time.

The Warriors were pretty healthy aside from Draymond Green being sidelined, but Jimmy Butler went down bad in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury, before limping off to the locker room.

It was simply an uneven defensive effort for Miami, as they allowed a Butler-less Warriors team in the second half to absolutely score as they pleased in both transition and the half-court. You can usually measure the effort levels by the early defensive feel, and that foreshadowed the rest of the game.

So let's discuss some on-court takeaways from tonight:

1. Andrew Wiggins early scoring summarizes his role.

Jan 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) is recognized by the Golden State Warriors before the game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Andrew Wiggins was the center of attention in Golden State tonight. A nice tribute video from his championship run, combined with a solid offensive start to this game with 18 points in the first half. Everything looked sharp: the perimeter jumper, the hard attacks to get to the line, and activity around the offensive glass. But with that said, he walked into a scoreless third quarter as the game kind of went away from him. It's not surprising as he isn't a number one option, but there always seems to be an inconsistency to his offense when it comes to his aggression. When he's clicking like tonight, they need to find a way to feed him. Not just while he's hot, but after the fact as well to try and make those scoring runs sustainable.

2. New rotation changes to start road trip.

Jan 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) drives in against Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

As Davion Mitchell returned, the one worry was that Kasparas Jakucionis would be forced to be shelved again. Yet that wasn't the case. The Heat elected to go ten, and Nikola Jovic still was the guy on the outside looking in for the night. With Jaquez Jr back, they felt the on-ball creation was handled from the wing position, as well as no need for back-up five minutes with Kel'el Ware glued to that role. Dru Smith got a very short 4 minute stint, while Jakucionis got added opportunity. Can the Heat finally lean into their youth by prioritizing Ware and Jakucionis? It's tough to say, but seems like they're leaning their way slightly to start the trip.

3. Bam Adebayo struggles after strong offensive week.

Jan 15, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) reacts against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

It was a successful week for the Heat's captain, Bam Adebayo. A 2-1 homestand that involved 13 three point makes earned him the Eastern Conference Player of the week. But that offensive juice didn't continue tonight in Golden State. As he missed his fifth three of the night in the third quarter, it expanded his shooting percentage to 1 for 13. Not ideal. He definitely missed some easy ones, but a big takeaway, which was noticed this week as he played well, was that his three ball is such a crucial part of his offensive game now. That outside shot seems to dictate his offensive production at this stage. When he was peaking early in the season, that was the swing factor compared to his mid-season struggles. This is just one down game after a good week, but the three-ball reliance is something to watch.