The Miami HEAT defeated the Atlanta Hawks 119-113 Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 24 points. The game was presented by Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida.
1. Another Night, Another Strong Outing For J. Rich
After going off against the Pelicans on Wednesday, Richardson was at it again versus the Hawks. And like in that prior outing, he wasted little time to get going.
Not only did Richardson come through with this tremendous block on Trae Young early in the first quarter…
…but he also converted his patented scoop shot near the end of the period:
As the game progressed, Richardson continued to find success off the dribble regardless of who was defending him and also knocked down a few jumpers for good measure.
On the flip side of the ball, the 25-year-old dug in against multiple guys, including Young, Taurean Prince and Kent Bazemore a bit before he shifted his attention to DeAndre’ Bembry and Tyler Dorsey in the second half.
So yeah, it was a pretty complete performance.
In addition to his game-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, Richardson also amassed three assists, two boards, a block and a team-high plus-13 rating.
2. Whiteside Feasts
Simply put, Hassan Whiteside got cooking in the first quarter and never looked back.
In fact, the big fella scored six straight points for Miami at one point in the first quarter and hit his first five shots.
How’d he do it?
Well, Whiteside feasted in the paint with dunks, hook shots and finishes inside, such as this and-one in the second quarter thanks to a great wrap-around pass from Goran Dragić:
When it was all said and done, the 7-footer tallied 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, four boards, two blocks and a plus-five rating.
3. Maten Ensures The Win
Yante Maten was ready.
No seriously, he was definitely ready once he checked into the game in the fourth quarter.
In just 4:44 of playing time, the 22-year-old rookie had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, five rebounds (three offensive) and two blocks.
Effort plays like this were pretty commonplace:
Maten knows the culture.
Other Takeaways:
-Dwyane Wade had some fun in the third quarter and did what he does best.
That’s father prime, everybody.
In all, the 36-year-old recorded 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Game Note:
-Justise Winslow (Rest), Wayne Ellington (Left Ankle Soreness), James Johnson (Sports Hernia Surgery) and Dion Waiters (Left Ankle Surgery) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-With the preseason now over, the HEAT will hit the practice court for a few days in preparation for their season opener against the Magic on Wednesday, Oct. 17, which will be televised on FOX Sports Sun at 7PM. After facing the Wizards the next night, Miami will then head home to get ready for its home opener versus the Hornets. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.