The Miami HEAT fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 111-99 Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Hassan Whiteside led the way for the HEAT with 22 points.
1. Richardson Sharp In The 3Q
After a slow first half, Josh Richardson really made some noise in the third quarter.
How so?
Well, for starters, he came through with this tremendous hustle play late in the period:
And shortly after that, Richardson rattled off five straight points, including this ferocious one-handed jam:
Sheesh.
When it was all said and done, the 25-year-old tallied 17 points, five boards and five assists.
2. Whiteside Leads The Way
Simply put, Whiteside used his strength and size advantage against Marcin Gortat and Montrezl Harrell for most of the evening.
And while he looked very good in the third quarter, he also continued to fight hard in the fourth regardless of the deficit.
Just take a look at this finish with contact in the pick-and-roll for proof of that:
In addition to his team-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, Whiteside also led Miami with 16 rebounds to go along with two assists, one steal and one block.
3. TJ Shows Toughness Throughout
Although Tyler Johnson led the HEAT with nine points in the fourth, his most impressive stretch came in the first half when he drew two charges and swatted Avery Bradley inside.
TJ ended up with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, five assists, two rebounds and that aforementioned block above.
Other Takeaways:
-Bam Adebayo had some cool plays to end the third quarter.
The 21-year-old finished with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and seven boards.
Game Note:
-Goran Dragić (Right Knee Surgery), Yante Maten (Sioux Falls Assignment) and Duncan Robinson (Sioux Falls Assignment) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will head back on the road for a quick two-game trip that starts Friday in Cleveland. Miami’s next home tilt will be on Wednesday, Jan. 30 against the Bulls. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.