On a historic night where Dwyane Wade’s jersey was retired, the HEAT did not disappoint and decimated the Cavs 124-105 Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s get right to it.
1. Nunn Does It All
Simply put, Kendrick Nunn was in his bag on Saturday.
How so?
Well, the 24-year-old scored from both inside and outside and showed great court vision throughout the contest.
Just check out this lob to Derrick Jones Jr. late in the second quarter for proof of the latter:
Gotta love it.
Of course, Nunn also competed hard defensively against Collin Sexton all evening.
When it was all said and done, the rookie amassed a game-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from deep, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line, eight assists, two rebounds, two steals, one block and a game-high plus-21 rating.
2. Robinson Keeps It Up
Another day, another three-point barrage from Duncan Robinson.
From the start against Cleveland, Robinson moved tirelessly off the ball for threes and some finishes at the rim.
In particular, this deeep trey early in the second quarter really stood out:
Whoa.
On the flip side of the ball, Robinson drew two charges in the second quarter, one on Larry Nance Jr. and one on Sexton.
In all, the 25-year-old Robinson tallied 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-10 from downtown, three assists and one rebound.
3. Dragić Sharp After The Break
With Miami firmly ahead at the break, Goran Dragić kept the pedal to the metal in the second half and made sure the Cavs would not mount a comeback.
And while he cooked Cleveland with buckets from all three levels, nothing touches this block on Sexton and behind-the-back feed to Jae Crowder early in the fourth quarter:
Dragić finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, four boards, four assists, one steal and one block.
Other Takeaways:
-Bam Adebayo had it all going on early, as he finished plays inside, threw down jams and set up his teammates with pinpoint passes and handoffs.
Above all else, though, this blow-by drive past Tristan Thompson and flush with contact early in the second quarter was perhaps his best play of the game:
Adebayo ended up with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, a game-high nine assists (tied with Sexton), three rebounds, one steal and one block.
-KO showed good chemistry with Adebayo as usual and concluded with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-6 from distance, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
-Jones Jr. rocked the rim time and time again like this…
…but also played solid defense on Darius Garland.
In total, Jones Jr. accumulated 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Game Notes:
-With 82 points in the first half, Miami set the franchise record for most points in any half.
-Jimmy Butler (Personal Reasons) and Tyler Herro (Right Ankle Soreness) were active scratches.
-Kyle Alexander (Right Knee; Hyperextended & PCL Sprain), Meyers Leonard (Left Ankle Sprain), KZ Okpala (G League - On Assignment) and Gabe Vincent (G League - Two-Way) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will hit the road to face the Cavs once again on Monday at 7PM. After that, Miami will return to the 305 for a five-game homestand, starting Wednesday against the Timberwolves. Tickets for that matchup at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.