The Miami HEAT defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-99 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Goran Dragić recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
1. Dragić Records A Triple-Double
So…Dragić did it all in his first start since Dec. 10.
I mean, really did it all.
In fact, the Dragon tallied his second career triple-double and laid it all on the line in front of a large group of Slovenian fans at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Just take a look at this amazing hustle play for proof of that:
Then again, this clutch bucket a little later was even better:
What footwork.
In addition to his team-high 23 points, 12 rebounds and team-high 11 assists, Dragić also had one steal, one block and a team-high plus-10 rating.
2. Waiters Goes Off In The Third
With Miami needing a jolt of energy after a tough first half, Dion Waiters certainly provided it with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the third quarter.
And while he hit a few treys during the flurry, he also came through with this nifty finish with contact:
Waiters ended up with 17 points, two rebounds and one assist.
3. JJ Empties The Tank
While nothing will jump off the page when assessing James Johnson’s stat line, he really made his presence felt on both ends of the floor against Dallas.
In particular, JJ did his best work in the fourth quarter with six points on 2-of-3 shooting and two blocks.
Perhaps most importantly, though, Johnson did a solid job of trapping Luka Dončić with either Bam Adebayo or Hassan Whiteside and made things tough on the Slovenian more often than not.
Here’s an example of that down the stretch:
When it was all said and done, Johnson amassed nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, three boards and two assists to go along with his aforementioned team-high two blocks.
Other Takeaways:
-Dwyane Wade didn’t shoot the ball as well as he’s used to, but he delivered the exclamation point in the fourth quarter.
In all, Wade had 11 points, a team-high four steals, two rebounds and two assists.
-Another game, another crazy dunk by Derrick Jones Jr.
Jones Jr. finished with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Game Notes:
-Justise Winslow (Right Thigh Bruise) and Rodney McGruder (Left Knee Soreness) were inactive.
-Josh Richardson (Left Heel Bruise) was an active scratch.
Looking Ahead:
-After a day off Friday, the HEAT will hit the road for matchups against the Knicks and Celtics. Miami’s next home tilt will be on Wednesday, April 3 against Boston. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.