The Miami HEAT defeated the San Antonio Spurs 75-74 Saturday night at Cox Pavilion in the Las Vegas Summer League. Bam Adebayo led the way for the HEAT with 18 points.
1. Auguste Brings Energy…Again
Zach Auguste sure has a motor doesn’t he? After a few solid games in Orlando, Auguste simply carried over his sharp play to Vegas on Saturday night. In the first half, the 24-year-old kept up his activity on the offensive glass and gave the HEAT a bunch of second-chance opportunities. In fact, Auguste scored six straight points for Miami towards the end of the second quarter, including this two-handed jam off a pick-and-roll with London Perrantes.
As the game progressed, the former Notre Dame player continued to finish around the rim in traffic with relative ease. On the flip side of the ball, he showed the ability to defend guards as well, especially when he forced a huge miss from Dejounte Murray with 15.9 seconds remaining in the fourth.
When it was all said and done, Auguste scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed nine boards (four offensive).
2. Perrantes Seals It
Early on, Perrantes looked comfortable as usual with the ball in his hands, as he wheeled and dealed his way to a game-high five assists. While that was important, the former Virginia Cavalier scored six points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with four seconds left to play.
In addition to his five assists, Perrantes also tallied 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and a game-high three steals.
3. Bam Slam!
After hitting a few smooth jump-hooks in the first quarter, Adebayo brought the pain in the second half. How so? Check out these powerful jams thanks to some great feeds from Perrantes.
Of course, Adebayo also showed his athleticism on this nifty finish in transition late in the fourth.
In all, the 19-year-old grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with his 18 points and two steals.
4. Welcome to the Squad, A.J.
One of Miami’s newest additions wasted little time to make his presence felt in his HEAT debut. A.J. Hammons, who was acquired by Miami on Friday in a trade with the Mavericks, had a nice little spurt in the beginning of the second quarter against the Spurs. During the flurry, the 24-year-old center converted a tough finish inside, hit a three from the top of the circle and showed his versatility on the defensive end too.
Hammons finished with five points and one rebound in 16 minutes of action.
Other Takeaways:
-Like Hammons, Trey McKinney-Jones also made his first appearance in a HEAT uniform. The former University of Miami standout totaled seven points, five rebounds and an assist against San Antonio.
Game Note:
-Okaro White sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Washington Wizards on Monday at 4:30PM ET. You can follow the game here.