Heat's Jimmy Butler has biggest regret after final shot debacle vs. Suns

After the Miami Heat lost to the Sacramento Kings last Monday , they started a rough six-game road trip in disappointing fashion as they fell to the Phoenix Suns, 115-112. As Heat star Jimmy Butler has been candid about the team's struggles , he took full accountability Wednesday night after regretting the final seconds of the contest.

Miami had a chance to tie and send the game into overtime after Devin Booker made one of his two free throws as it came down to the final possession. They would have under five seconds to work with as Butler had a clear look at the basket as he stepped back, but at the last minute, he opted to pass the ball to Tyler Herro with under a second left and couldn't shoot it in time.

When speaking to the media after the game, Butler said what should have happened was him shooting the ball to possibly tie the game, according to a video from on X, formerly Twitter.

"I should've just pulled back and shot it," Butler said. "We kind of knew what was gonna go on. My turnover. Gotta shoot that one."

Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler's decision in the last possession

There is no doubt that the Heat have had third-quarter struggles this season, as while it necessarily didn't happen Wednesday, it was another second half that resulted in poor play. The final play of the game was pretty much a microcosm of the season so far for Miami, filled with missed opportunities, especially head coach Erik Spoelstra thought Butler should have shot it, but their late-game play will be "better," according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

"I think the only play at that point would have been for [Butler] to shoot the three," Spoelstra said about the final possession for the Heat in the loss to the Suns, who have won six straight outings. "There was a little bit of zig and zag and then we ended up running out of time. But we'll be better with that."

If there was a bright spot to the game, it was Herro who has been impressive to start the season and continued Wednesday as he led with 28 points to go along with six assists and three rebounds. Talking about the previous third period concerns, Miami would build up a 15-point lead late in the frame, but the Suns would come roaring back on offense where they could not keep up, as Herro said they were "stagnant."

"I think just getting stagnant on offense and we need to find different ways to generate just good looks," Herro said. "And then they were able to get stops, which led to transition buckets, different things on the other end that caused problems for us."

Heat's Bam Adebayo up and down night against the Suns

There were a ton of stressful outings, one especially from a cornerstone of the Heat in Bam Adebayo, who finished the game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and five steals. However, he would make only five of his 21 attempts from the field as he has been looking for his footing to start the season.

The Heat themselves said they wanted Adebayo more involved as he has had low usage in the beginning, but there is no questioning that they have addressed with the volume he received Wednesday night. Still, even if the star center struggles offensively, he will always be a force on defense.

He started the game on Suns star Kevin Durant before transitioning back to big man Jusuf Nurkic, as there was even a change made by Spoelstra in the second half. While the starting lineup consists of Nikola Jovic at the power forward position, it was Haywood Highsmith who filled in that role as he had an impressive game scoring 19 points and collecting seven rebounds off the bench.

Heat's Erik Spoelstra to start Haywood Highsmith in the second half

Highsmith has been known around the league to be a defensive stalwart, but last year, he has shown to improve on the offensive side of the ball, especially from beyond the arch. This was why the Heat signed Highsmith back to a $11 million deal lasting two years, as Spoelstra explains the decision to play Highsmith to start the second half.

"I wanted just to keep Bam on Nurkic, to keep him comfortable under the rim," Spoelstra said. "And H [Highsmith] had given us good minutes in that first half, and we were looking to do something just to change the energy of these third quarters. It had nothing to do with Niko. It was more about their lineup and how they can get you scrambling."

There was another significant development from Wednesday night's loss to the Suns, which was the meaningful playing time of Heat's first-round rookie Kel'el Ware . The lack of minutes for Ware had been a talking point among fans as they feel Miami needs size and a big body on the floor for rebounding.

Meaningful playing time for Heat rookie Kel'el Ware

While fellow rookie Pelle Larsson, selected in the second round, has been getting a boatload of playing time the past few games and has been running away with those opportunities, Ware got that chance Wednesday. He ended up playing 14 minutes as he scored seven points, shooting three of six from the field, including 1-1 from deep, to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and one block.

Ware served as the primary backup center for Adebayo, where throughout the season, it had been Thomas Bryant due to the absence of Kevin Love who has not played so far due to "personal reasons" as he's now with the team. Spoelstra would say after the game to the media that Ware has done a solid job in staying ready.

"He's been really progressing quickly behind the scenes," Spoelstra said via Chiang of The Miami Herald. "He kept himself ready. I thought his minutes were very good. I thought they were encouraging."