The Miami HEAT fell to the Indiana Pacers 90-87 Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Chris Bosh led the way for the HEAT with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
1. Bosh Finds the Range
After primarily crashing the boards and playing excellent defense the past few games, Bosh found the stroke against Indiana. He really went to work at the start of the second quarter as Miami was on an impressive run. Bosh took advantage of his matchup with rookie Myles Turner and scored the HEAT’s first eight points of the quarter.
Bosh did his usual damage from the perimeter throughout the game, but he also got to the free-throw line quite often. In addition to his 21 points and 11 boards, he had two assists and a steal.
2. Justise Winslow Comes Up Big in Crunch Time
Defending Paul George is a very tough task. Even with all the energy Winslow had to exert by guarding the superstar, he still fared very well on the offensive end for Miami. In particular, the rookie made strides in the all-important fourth quarter, where he scored seven of his 13 points. Perhaps his most impressive bucket came with about eight and a half minutes to go in the game when Winslow drove inside off a Bosh screen at the top of the circle. Thanks to that screen, Winslow got past George, drew a foul on Ian Mahinmi and converted the tough finish and-one.
Winslow played nearly the entire quarter and put it all on the line against the Pacers. His effort and energy on both ends enabled the HEAT to stay in the game. Unfortunately, the team fell just a tad short.
3. Hassan Whiteside Protects the Paint
Early on, Whiteside made his presence felt on Friday night. While he continued to display some nifty moves in the post, his biggest contribution came on the defensive end. Whiteside had all four of his blocks in the first quarter, which enabled Miami to get some easy buckets in transition. Even when he wasn’t getting blocks, Whiteside still altered numerous shots at the rim.
Take for instance a play late in the first quarter when Monta Ellis had to go with a reverse layup since Whiteside slid down the lane to contest his shot. Because of that, Ellis missed and Whiteside grabbed the board before passing it to Goran Dragic. Dragic then took it all the way to the rack for an impressive layup in transition between Paul George and Rodney Stuckey.
Whiteside ended the game with eight points and 12 boards to go along with his four blocks.
Other Takeaways:
-Thus far this season, Josh McRoberts has primarily been a facilitator for the HEAT. Against Indiana, McRoberts did more of the same plus a little bit more. The vet led the charge on a 7-0 run at the start of the fourth thanks to more aggression on the offensive end. In particular, McRoberts showed great chemistry with Winslow.
With 10:02 left in the game, McRoberts threw a great wraparound pass to Winslow on the right block. Winslow backed-down Chase Budinger, spun to his left and got the tough shot to fall.
McRoberts tallied eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-3 from downtown, and five assists on the night.
Game Note: Gerald Green (illness) and Josh Richardson were inactive.