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Suns 97 - HEAT 112 Game Recap

The Miami HEAT defeated the Phoenix Suns 112-97 Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Hassan Whiteside led the way for the HEAT with 23 points.

1. Whiteside Seals It

Although Whiteside had a slow start to the contest, he really picked things up in the third quarter. In fact, the big fella tallied 10 points, seven boards and a steal in the period to make sure there would be no comeback for the Suns. Naturally, one of his best plays of the quarter came on a thunderous alley-oop.

With 2:57 left in the third, James Johnson drove into the lane after Whiteside set a screen for him. From there, the forward lofted up a lob for the 7-footer, who then threw it down with one hand.

From that point on, Whiteside simply carried over his sharp play into the fourth and essentially sealed the deal with a fadeaway jumper plus the foul.

Unfortunately, Whiteside suffered a laceration between his right middle and ring fingers later in the quarter and received 13 stitches.

In addition to his 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, the 27-year-old also had 14 rebounds (four offensive), three steals, two blocks and a team-high plus-23 rating.

2. Quick Start for T. Johnson

With Miami needing a jolt of energy in the first quarter, Tyler Johnson gave the team just that when he stepped onto the court for the first time. Thanks to two 3-pointers and a bunch of finishes in transition, the guard scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the opening period. Let’s take a look at one of his most explosive plays during the flurry.

With 3:22 left in the first, J. Johnson stripped the ball from Marquese Chriss as the 19-year-old was driving to the basket. From there, J. Johnson flung it down court to Rodney McGruder, who then took a dribble and hit it ahead to T. Johnson for the two-handed flush in transition.

Otherwise in the contest, the 24-year-old hustled as usual and hit the deck for a few loose balls. What’s more, he competed quite hard on the defensive end against both Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker. The Fresno State product finished the night with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and a team-high five steals.

3. Dragić Sticks With It

While Goran Dragić didn’t shoot the ball as well as he’s used to, he made plays when it mattered most. In particular, the Dragon scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting after halftime to keep the HEAT firmly in control. As a whole, the Slovenian took advantage of Phoenix’s quick pace and hit a number of short jumpers in transition. When it was all said and done, Dragić scored 16 points, grabbed four boards, dished out two assists and came away with two steals.

4. Ellington Catches Fire

When you’re hot, you’re hot. That definitely was the case for Wayne Ellingon late in the second quarter on Tuesday night. In the period, the swingman scored nine straight points for Miami in just 46 seconds of game time. While that was obviously important for building some momentum, Ellington also came through with a rare dunk in transition shortly thereafter.

With a little under 30 seconds to play in the first half, the 29-year-old read the passing lane, swiped an errant pass from Ulis and took it all the way for the one-handed jam.

In all, Ellington tallied 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and two assists to go along with that aforementioned steal.

Other Takeaways:

-Josh Richardson mixed things up offensively and had a solid outing overall. Not to mention, he also did a good job of contesting Booker throughout the night. Richardson ended up with 14 points, two boards, two assists and a block.

-The HEAT raced out in transition from the very start and scored 19 fast break points against the Suns.

Game Notes:

-Whiteside set a franchise record for rebounds in a single season. He currently has 936.

-Dion Waiters (sprained left ankle), Justise Winslow (right shoulder surgery) and Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) sat out.

Looking Ahead:

-The HEAT close out their homestand Thursday night against the Raptors at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.