The Miami HEAT fell to the Golden State Warriors 118-112 Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dwyane Wade led the way for the HEAT with 32 points.
1. Wade Does All He Can
After a rusty night against the Pacers, Wade came out on fire against the Warriors. The vet nailed his first five shots and had the mid-range jumper falling early. Of course, Wade also kept the defense guessing with some nifty drives to the rack as well.
Perhaps his prettiest move to the hoop came with 7:57 left in the first quarter. After driving past Klay Thompson from the right wing, Wade hit Andrew Bogut with the Euro-step and knocked down the short jumper.
On the defensive end, the 34-year-old made some great plays in transition for Miami in the third. While that was great, Wade really came through in crunch time as usual. The vet relentlessly attacked the basket and got to the free throw line often in the fourth. As a result, he scored seven points in the final period to try and will his team to victory. Unfortunately, the HEAT fell just short. In addition to Wade’s 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting, he also had seven assists and three rebounds.
2. Whiteside Gets the Party Started
With the defending champs in the building, Hassan Whiteside made sure not to waste any time. Like Wade, Whiteside also converted his first five shots to help Miami gain an early lead. In the first quarter, the big man went on a personal 8-0 run thanks to some slams and nice finishes in the post. His best play of the sequence certainly brought the crowd to its feet.
To start the possession, Whiteside slipped the screen for Goran Dragic at the right wing and rolled to the basket. From there, Dragic took a few dribbles and lobbed it up to Whiteside once Anderson Varejao came to contest. The center then finished the rest with the massive jam.
While Whiteside had a quiet third quarter, he really shined in the fourth. Once he checked in with 7:41 to go in the game, he converted a nifty hook shot, blocked a shot and nailed a jumper in just a minute and a half of game time. Later, Whiteside hit a 14-footer to put the HEAT up 106-104 with 1:42 left. In all, the 26-year-old tallied 21 points and 13 boards on 8-of-11 shooting.
3. Richardson Rises to the Occasion
Steph Curry is easily one of the toughest covers in the league. Not fazed, Josh Richardson guarded the reining MVP exceptionally well in the third quarter. Richardson used his great lateral quickness to stay with Curry and also fought hard through screens to make sure he got a hand up to contest.
On the flip side of the ball, the rookie was just as impactful. He nailed all three of his treys on the evening and also had an impressive drive against Curry. Richardson finished with a career-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Game Note: Beno Udrih (foot), Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.