Honestly, if you've been watching the Miami Heat lately, you know the vibes are... complicated. We’re sitting right in the middle of January 2026, and the Miami Heat basketball game schedule is about to put Erik Spoelstra’s "Culture" to the ultimate test. As of today, January 13, the Heat are hovering around a 20-19 record. They just dropped a rough one to the Oklahoma City Thunder (124-112) on Sunday, marking their third straight loss.
It’s that classic Heat season arc. We start hot, look like world-beaters, and then January hits like a ton of bricks. If you're looking for a simple list of when to tune in, you've come to the right place, but there is a lot more going on under the hood with this roster than just dates and times.
The January Gauntlet: Home Cooking and Road Woes
Tonight, January 13, the Heat are back at the Kaseya Center to face the Phoenix Suns. This is basically a "must-win" if you can even have those in January. Phoenix is coming in at 24-15, and the oddsmakers basically have this as a pick 'em.
After the Suns, the schedule doesn't get any easier. We’ve got the Boston Celtics coming to town on Thursday, January 15. Then, a rematch with that same Thunder team that just beat us on Saturday, January 17. That three-game homestand is huge. If they go 1-2 or 0-3, the panic meters in South Beach are going to redline.
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Upcoming Game Dates and Times
- Jan 13: vs. Phoenix Suns (7:30 PM ET)
- Jan 15: vs. Boston Celtics (7:30 PM ET)
- Jan 17: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM ET)
Then comes the West Coast trip. This is the five-game stretch that usually defines the Heat’s mid-season. They fly out to San Francisco to play the Warriors on January 19, then it’s a back-to-back in Sacramento on the 20th. They wrap up that swing with Portland (Jan 22), Utah (Jan 24), and a return game against the Suns in Phoenix on January 25.
It’s a lot of miles. It’s a lot of late nights for those of us watching from the East Coast.
The Norman Powell Factor
Let’s talk about the roster for a second because that's what's driving the results on the Miami Heat basketball game schedule. The trade for Norman Powell has been, frankly, the only thing keeping the offense afloat. Pat Riley really pulled a rabbit out of his hat with that three-team deal. Powell has been an absolute "bucket," as the kids say, grading out as the team's best player through the first 40 games.
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On the flip side, Bam Adebayo has been... well, he’s been struggling. He’s shooting a lower percentage than we’re used to, and while his defense is still elite, the "C-" grade he's been getting from some analysts isn't totally unfair. We need "Aggressive Bam" if we're going to survive this January stretch.
The lineup we're seeing most nights—Davion Mitchell, Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam, and Kel’el Ware—has some real defensive teeth, but the spacing gets weird sometimes. You’ve also got Jaime Jaquez Jr. coming off the bench providing that spark, but the consistency just isn't there yet for the whole unit.
Why the standings matter right now
The Heat are currently 8th in the East. That’s play-in territory. Nobody wants to be there.
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- Detroit Pistons: 28-10 (The biggest surprise of 2026, honestly)
- New York Knicks: 25-14
- Boston Celtics: 24-15
... - Miami Heat: 20-19
Being 8.5 games behind the Pistons in January feels like a fever dream, but that’s the reality of the NBA right now. The gap between the 4th seed and the 10th seed is razor-thin. A good week on this Miami Heat basketball game schedule could jump us to 5th; a bad week could see us drop out of the play-in entirely.
What to Watch For in the Second Half
The 2025-26 campaign runs through April 12, where we finish at home against the Atlanta Hawks. Between now and then, keep an eye on the back-to-backs. This team is older than it looks. Andrew Wiggins and Terry Rozier are both in their 30s now. Spoelstra is going to have to manage minutes carefully, especially during that late January road trip.
Also, keep an eye on the "double-headers" against the same team. We play Brooklyn twice in a row in early March (March 3 and March 5). Those mini-series are always chess matches.
How to actually watch the games
If you're trying to catch these games live, the broadcast situation has changed a bit. You’ve got the national games on NBC, Peacock, and ESPN, but the bulk of the Miami Heat basketball game schedule is on FanDuel Sports Network Sun (the old Bally Sports). If you're a cord-cutter, the FDSN app is basically your only legal option unless you're sailing the high seas of the internet.
Actionable Steps for Fans
- Check the injury report two hours before tip-off. With Bam and Tyler Herro dealing with nagging issues, the lineup changes fast.
- Sync your calendar. The West Coast trip (Jan 19-25) has mostly 10:00 PM or 10:30 PM ET starts. Plan your sleep accordingly.
- Watch the waiver wire. If you're into fantasy, Kel’el Ware’s minutes are trending up. He might be worth a look if he's still available in your league.
- Secure tickets early for March. The Lakers come to town on March 19. That game is always a sell-out and prices are already triple the usual January rates.
The Heat have a habit of making things difficult for themselves before they make things difficult for everyone else in the playoffs. This current 20-19 record is frustrating, but it's par for the course. We've seen this movie before. The January schedule is the climax of the first act—let's see if they can survive it.