The Miami HEAT fell to the Denver Nuggets 86-83 Monday night at Cox Pavilion in the Samsung Las Vegas Summer League. Below are some takeaways from the game.
1 – Shabazz Napier Sets The Pace
In his last time out against the Jazz, Napier dished out some great passes to make life easier for his teammates. On Monday, Napier continued that trend and looked in control of the offense. The sophomore point guard pushed tempo early and helped Miami take a 41-36 lead at halftime. On one such instance, Napier threw a fantastic two-handed bounce pass in transition to Joshua Smith, who finished the easy slam. Napier remained in attack mode for the rest of the game and really had a strong showing, as he also connected on some clutch jumpers down the stretch. In all, he led the team with 20 points (on 50 percent shooting) and six assists.
2 – Greg Whittington Always Ready To Shoot
Whittington has seemed to gain his footing since a quiet start to Summer League. After recording a double-double against Utah on Saturday with 13 points and 10 boards, Whittington answered the call with 16 points and three rebounds versus Denver. The rookie forward out of Georgetown often gets good looks because he moves pretty well without the ball. It will be interesting to see if Whittington can keep up his solid play for the rest of Summer League.
3 – Justise Winslow Returns
After sitting out the previous two games, Winslow made his return to the starting lineup on Monday night. While he didn’t play much, Winslow looked poised when he was on the floor and knew exactly what he needed to do. One of the impressive things about the former Duke Blue Devil is that he hardly ever forces a bad shot or bad pass on the offensive end. Winslow finished with three points in 12 minutes of action, but he received some meaningful playing time late in the fourth quarter.
Other Takeaways:
-Josh Richardson showed great defensive instincts throughout the contest. While he shot 3-of-9, he scored seven points, dished out three assists and blocked a shot.
-Gabriel Olaseni continued to impress and hit a few mid-range jumpers against the Nuggets in addition to his usual finishes around the rim. The big man posted 10 points, six boards and two assists in 28 minutes of work.
The HEAT are back in action Tuesday night at 7:00 PM ET against the Boston Celtics.