Zach LaVine torching Miami's slipping defense, and other Heat-Kings takeaways

Coming off a final play breakdown and loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night, a Saturday night bounce back was the goal for the Miami Heat.

As the Sacramento Kings came to town, the Heat were missing Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson on the second night of a back to back.

It indeed looked like a second night of a back to back, as the Heat were inexcusably sluggish on defense for a majority of the night.

But let's get into some takeaways from tonight:

1. Dealing with Zach LaVine.

Nov 30, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after a play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Twenty-nine points is a scoring total that many NBA players can only hope for. Zach LaVine had that by halftime. Erik Spoelstra spoke a night ago about the underwhelming defense of that Bam Adebayo-Kel'el Ware unit, and this wasn't the strongest follow up after the loss to the Magic. Tough shots were scattered from some of the Kings' shot makers, but Miami's defense allowed LaVine to get in that flow as he lingered off ball. The on-ball containment has generally been okay for this Heat team, but the off-ball attention needs some work. It's what led to a 72 point half for the Kings.

2. Two missing Heat players that proves their value.

Nov 8, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was in street clothes on the bench as he recovers from his injury at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Maybe the chatter surrounding Tyler Herro no matter if he plays or doesn't can begin to simmer down. This team needs as much shooting and scoring as they can get, so getting this team whole is crucial for the two-way success of this team. But aside from Herro, the value of Davion Mitchell is louder on a night he is sidelined. Not only because of the defense, but for the downhill on-ball ability with his constant paint touches into kick-outs. This isn't blaming the loss on their injuries, but shedding some light on the value of two Heat starters.

3. The defense keeps on slipping for Miami.

Dec 6, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) and Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) go for a rebound during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Looking at the current rank of the Miami Heat's defense this season, you would see they sit top 5 in defensive rating. But if you simplify it to their last four games without even counting this disaster against Sacramento, they are all the way down at 18th. They made up so much ground at the beginning of the season, that a five game rough stretch hasn't knocked them out of season long positioning on that end of the floor. But it's been apparent to anybody watching that there's been real slippage on that end. It's not all on the Adebayo-Ware big lineups either. That fast style is simultaneously allowing teams to counter with quick buckets themselves, which needs to be resolved.