The Miami Heat's early scoring shifts and the captain's struggles continue in loss to Thunder

Coming off the worst loss of the season, the Heat had to try and bounce back against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the backend of the back to back.

Norman Powell was ruled out prior to this game with lower back soreness, while Tyler Herro was upgraded from questionable to available.

Instead of going big with Kel'el Ware again, Erik Spoelstra inserted Pelle Larsson back into the first unit to deal with the perimeter scorers in OKC.

Offense and scoring wasn't the problem tonight. Miami hung around for a while before OKC's eventual third quarter take-off, while the defense slowly deteriorated as the game continued.

So let's get into some takeaways from tonight:

1. The first half offensive bounce back.

Jan 11, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) moves the ball down the court beside Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

What a difference 24 hours makes when comparing first halves. After knocking down one triple in the first half in Indiana, the Heat shot 8 of 16 from deep tonight in OKC. Miami pretty much went back to their old offensive ways, which meant all screening and pick and roll offense. With that said, they maintained the pace and tempo uptick of the new style, which is still needed with this roster. The scoring was spread across the entire nine man rotation by halftime, as the team was generally in a flow on that end of the floor against the league's number one defense. The shooting numbers make a huge difference, but it also helps when the team is defending at a high level to set-up their offense, which was the case through the first 24 minutes tonight.

2. The Pelle Larsson discussion.

Dec 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) reacts against the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

There was a general sigh when the Heat's starting lineup was released, as Kel'el Ware remained on the bench even with Norman Powell out. But that sigh certainly wasn't because Pelle Larsson was the guy that was inserted. Every time the Heat's second year wing gets extended run or even time with the starting group, he always finds a way to shine. Usually with his gritty defense, as he did tonight by drawing a couple first half offensive fouls. But the difference right now is that his scoring continues to be the pop factor. Threes keep dropping, his physical drives create chances at the charity stripe, and he's a terror in the open floor. When it comes down to praising certain Heat players, Larsson should find himself at the top of that list with his constant impact and consistency.

3. Struggles continue for the captain.

Jan 11, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Miami Heat center/forward Bam Adebayo (13) reacts after a call on him during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

When trying to go toe to toe with a team like the Thunder, you need your role players to play the way the Heat's did tonight. Larsson's two way play, Davion Mitchell's constant attacks, Nikola Jovic's shooting stretch. The offense wasn't the problem for Miami whatsoever, but the one stat-line that'll stick out once again was the poor play of Heat captain Bam Adebayo. As mentioned earlier, the Heat reverted back to some of the old offensive styles. A primary reason for that was to get Adebayo some easier looks in the half-court. Yet he looked like a player again tonight completely in his head. Hook shots bouncing out, short jumpers not falling, and just a lack of the stability that Miami used to count on. Miami was outmatched in that second half tonight, but this story-line isn't just going to disappear. It needs to be corrected.