The Miami HEAT fell to the Houston Rockets 121-118 Thursday night at Toyota Center. Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragić each had 21 points apiece to lead Miami.
1. Dragić Goes Off In The Fourth
Although Dragić took some time to get going, he really made his presence felt in the fourth quarter.
Thanks to a balanced mix of attacks to the bucket that led to free throws and catch-and-shoot treys like this one…
…the Dragon scored a team-high 12 points in the fourth.
When it was all said and done, Dragić tallied five boards, five assists and a team-high plus-15 rating to go along with his 21 points on the evening.
2. KO Stays Hot
Olynyk has had one heck of a week, hasn’t he?
Simply put, the 7-footer did his usual damage and scored from everywhere on the floor, as he drilled a few threes and cut to the basket effectively like on this play late in the third quarter:
And of course, he also put his body on the line and drew two charges in the second quarter.
In addition to his 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, Olynyk also had five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
3. Winslow Sharp Early
Early on, Justise Winslow did his thing on both ends and put on a show in his hometown.
Not only did he keep the ball moving and record a team-high eight assists, but he also came through with some tough drives to the rim and shots from the perimeter like this one early in the third:
On the flip side of the ball, Winslow fared well in the zone and competed hard against James Harden.
In all, the 22-year-old amassed 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting and seven boards to go along with his eight assists.
Game Notes:
-James Johnson (Slight Left AC Sprain), Yante Maten and Emanuel Terry (Sioux Falls Assignment) were inactive.
-Hassan Whiteside (Left Hip Strain) was an active scratch.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that matchup at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.