The Miami HEAT defeated the Indiana Pacers 101-93 in overtime Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Goran Dragic led the way for the HEAT with 24 points.
1. Dragic Continues to Lead the Charge
As been the case since the All-Star break, Dragic remained in control of the offense and had a very good outing. In particular on Monday night, the point guard mixed it up with aggressive takes to the rack and shots from the perimeter. While Dragic had a number of great finishes in transition as usual, one of his most impressive drives came in the half court after he ran off an Hassan Whiteside screen. From there, he received the ball from Josh McRoberts, took it inside and converted the tough layup over the much taller Jordan Hill.
The Slovenian scored 10 of his 24 points in the second quarter and was the catalyst on an 11-0 run to close the first half. As the game progressed however, Dragic continued to keep pressure on the Pacers. In addition to his team-leading 24 points, the 29-year-old also tallied eight rebounds and five assists.
2. Whiteside Does It On Both Ends
While Whiteside played very well in regulation on Monday night, he really came up big in the overtime period. Towards the beginning of overtime, he hustled for a huge rebound to get a fast break started for the HEAT. Shortly thereafter, he swatted Paul George inside for one of his six blocks. Throughout the game, Whiteside altered plenty of shots at the rim and made Indiana second guess its approach. On the offensive end, the 26-year-old hit some nifty hook shots in the post in addition to his usual put-backs thanks to offensive boards. He also set some strong screens to free up his teammates, including one in overtime that sprung Dragic free for a clutch layup. In all, Whiteside totaled 19 points and 18 rebounds (six offensive) on the evening.
3. Deng Picks It Up In the Third
After a slow first half, Luol Deng really got going in the third quarter. The vet scored nine points and grabbed nine boards in the third, as he stuck with it and attacked the basket. He also crashed the offensive glass like he has so often in the past. His resurgence in the second half helped Miami gain its first lead of the game about midway through the third. Although he had to exit the game late in the quarter due to a dislocated right middle finger, he still returned to action. In total, Deng had 16 rebounds (five offensive) to go along with his 13 points against the Pacers.
Other Takeaways:
-Justise Winslow showed great defensive energy throughout the contest. The rookie had some really good sequences of defense on George and did everything he could to make things tough on the dynamic scorer. As a result, George shot 2-of-9 in the fourth quarter and overtime period combined. On the flip side of the ball, Winslow continued to make great cuts and ran the floor well in transition. He also hit four clutch free throws to put the HEAT up seven with 41.9 seconds left in overtime. The 19-year-old finished with 15 points, seven boards and a plus-29 rating.
Game Notes:
-Beno Udrih sustained a right foot injury in the second quarter and did not return.
-Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.