The Miami HEAT defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-110 Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 20 points. Seven other players scored in double-figures for Miami.
1. Winslow Flirts With A Triple-Double
Justise Winslow simply had it all going on versus Cleveland, as he attacked the basket, set up his teammates and crashed the glass.
And against a team that’s vulnerable inside, his ability to get into the paint really paid dividends.
Perhaps his most impressive sequence came on this strong take and finish against Collin Sexton and Kevin Love in transition early in the third quarter:
When it was all said and done, Winslow amassed 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, nine boards, a game-high nine assists, one steal and a game-high plus-18 rating.
2. Bam Continues To Make An Impact
From the start, Bam Adebayo remained ready for the catch inside and crushed the rim quite often.
Then again, he also came through with a cool role reversal late in the third quarter where he set a screen for Richardson, received the ball and lobbed it up to Winslow. Of course, Winslow then returned the favor the next time down the floor.
On the flip side of the ball, Adebayo showed quick feet on the perimeter as usual and disrupted the Cavs’ rhythm.
In all, the 21-year-old tallied 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
3. McGruder Gets Hot Late
With Cleveland closing the gap a bit in the fourth, Rodney McGruder answered the call with a team-high 11 points in the final period.
This four-point play, which ultimately led to another three for McGruder since a flagrant foul was called on Love, pretty much sealed it:
The former Kansas State product ended up with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting, five boards and two assists.
Other Takeaways:
-After scoring 10 points in the second quarter, Richardson continued to do his thing from the perimeter and led Miami with four treys on the night. In addition to his team-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from deep, J. Rich also had five assists and a steal.
-Goran Dragić had a nice run in the second quarter thanks to some nifty plays in transition, but nothing quite touches this spin and up-and-under move late in the third quarter:
The Dragon finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting, one rebound and one assist.
-Derrick Jones Jr. can fly on the defensive end, too:
Jones Jr. recorded eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, six rebounds and two assists to go along with those two blocks above.
Game Note:
-Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Assignment) and Yante Maten were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at 3:30 PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.