Due to a total team effort, the HEAT defeated the Cavs 124-107 Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Let’s get right into some takeaways, shall we?
SHOP
1. Duncan Makes History…Again
Oh, look, another milestone for Duncan Robinson.
Thanks to hitting his first five shots (all triples), Robinson became the fastest player in NBA history to record 500 career threes.
This was his fourth one that set the mark:
Perfect.
Also of note, the 27-year-old scored 14 points in the third quarter to help Miami seize control of the game.
When it was all said and done, Robinson tallied 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep, and an assist.
2. Nunn Continues To Get Buckets
So…Kendrick Nunn did whatever he wanted in this one.
From finishes inside to mid-range jumpers and spot-up threes, Nunn was simply in his bag.
And on the defensive end, he read the passing lanes well and competed hard against Collin Sexton late in the contest.
That said, one of his more impressive plays of the evening came when he was guarding Kevin Love.
What effort.
Nunn finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-6 from distance, four assists, two rebounds, two steals and a plus-22 rating.
3. Ariza Mixes It Up
Simply put, Trevor Ariza kicked off the game with a steal and finish and never looked back.
From there, Ariza mixed up his offensive approach with threes and patient drives to the basket.
Oh yeah, an alley-oop jam was part of the equation as well.
Naturally, Ariza also did work defensively in both man and zone schemes before the night was done.
The wily vet ended up with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-5 from long range, and a perfect 2-of-2 shooting from the line, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
Other Takeaways:
-Max Strus got loose in a 12-point second quarter where he did the majority of his scoring at the rim.
Seriously.
Check out this coast-to-coast finish with contact late in the period:
Told ya he got loose.
Strus concluded with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-9 from downtown, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a plus-22 rating.
-Goran Dragić broke his tie with Mario Chalmers and now stands alone at third on the franchise’s all-time assists list.
In 29:24 of action, the Slovenian had nine points on 4-of-10 shooting, a team-high seven dimes, five boards and a plus-nine rating.
Game Notes:
-Miami has now won 11 of its last 12 against Cleveland.
-Nemanja Bjelica (stomach; flu-like symptoms), Udonis Haslem (stomach; flu-like symptoms) and Tyler Herro (right foot soreness) were active scratches. Herro did not travel.
-Victor Oladipo (right knee soreness) also did not travel and was inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will get right back to it on Sunday against the Hornets in a very important game for playoff seeding. Miami will then return home to host the Mavs on Tuesday at 8PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.