If you’re refreshing your feed trying to figure out what is the score of the Miami Heat game, you've probably noticed things are moving fast in South Beach. The NBA season is in that mid-January grind where every bucket feels twice as heavy.
Right now, the Heat are coming off a tough one. On Thursday night, January 15, they hosted the Boston Celtics at the Kaseya Center and, man, it was a roller coaster. Miami actually had this game in their hands early. They jumped out to a massive 28-9 lead in the first quarter. You’d think a 19-point cushion would be enough to coast, but Boston has a way of ruining a good night.
The Latest Result: Heat Fall to Celtics 119-114
The final score was 114-119 in favor of Boston. Honestly, it was a brutal collapse for Miami fans. The Heat led for almost the entire game until the fourth quarter when the wheels just fell off.
Anfernee Simons was the absolute killer for Miami. Coming off the bench, he dropped 39 points—18 of those in the fourth quarter alone. It’s hard to win when a reserve is shooting the lights out like that. Jaylen Brown added 27 for the C's, and a clutch three-pointer from Sam Hauser with about five minutes left finally gave Boston the lead they wouldn't give back.
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On the Miami side, the scoring was pretty balanced, but they just couldn't get a stop when it mattered.
- Norman Powell: 26 points
- Bam Adebayo: 22 points
- Tyler Herro: 22 points
- Andrew Wiggins: 16 points
Miami actually outshot Boston for most of the night, but they were outscored 36-21 in the final period. That’s where the game was lost.
Tonight's Matchup: Heat vs. Thunder (January 17, 2026)
If you are looking for the score for tonight, Saturday, January 17, the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder hasn't tipped off yet. It’s scheduled for 8:00 PM EST at the Kaseya Center.
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This is a massive test. The Thunder are currently sitting at 35-7 and are on a five-game winning streak. They already beat Miami earlier this month (124-112 on January 12), so the Heat are definitely looking for some revenge. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing at an MVP level, averaging over 27 points lately, and Chet Holmgren is a nightmare to deal with in the paint.
Key Factors for Tonight
Miami is currently 21-20 and holding onto the 8th seed in the East. They're kind of at a crossroads. The injury report isn't helping much either. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is dealing with some knee soreness and Davion Mitchell has a shoulder issue, making both of them "day-to-day" decisions for tonight.
The oddsmakers aren't exactly showing Miami a ton of love for this one. Oklahoma City opened as an 8.5-point favorite. If the Heat want to pull this off, they have to fix that fourth-quarter defense that cost them the Celtics game. You can’t let teams go on 15-0 runs in the final six minutes and expect to survive in this league.
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Where to Watch and Follow
If you can't be at the Kaseya Center, you can catch the game on FanDuel Sports Network Sun (formerly Bally Sports) or listen on 560 The Joe WQAM.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Watch the Paint: Miami is 3rd in the league for points in the paint. If Bam can dominate Chet early, it opens up everything for Herro and Powell on the perimeter.
- Bench Depth: With Jaquez Jr. potentially out, guys like Kasparas Jakucionis and Nikola Jovic need to provide more than just "filler" minutes.
- Free Throw Consistency: Miami shot nearly 90% from the line against Boston; they'll need that same precision tonight to keep pace with OKC’s high-octane offense.
The Heat have been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team lately—beating the Suns one night and blowing a 19-point lead the next. Tonight will tell us a lot about their resilience.