Although things were tight through three quarters, the HEAT picked up their defense in a major way in the fourth and came away with a 120-101 victory over the Grizzlies Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Let’s see how it all went down.
1. Winslow Balls Out
From the opening tip, Justise Winslow was ready to rock in this one.
Not only did he finish plays at the rim and set up his teammates rather well, but he also absorbed a ton of contact inside and made Memphis pay from the charity stripe.
Oh yeah, he also knocked down two turnaround jumpers, including this one in the fourth quarter:
Smooth.
Of course, Winslow was a defensive catalyst, too, as he guarded multiple guys throughout the contest, including Ja Morant, Grayson Allen and Kyle Anderson.
In all, the 23-year-old had a game-high 27 points on 10-of-21 shooting, a game-high seven assists, seven rebounds, one steal, one block and a plus-22 rating.
2. Nunn Sharp In Debut
You’d think somebody starting in their very first regular season game would be nervous.
But that’s not how Kendrick Nunn is wired.
Rather, the rookie looked extremely composed on both ends of the floor and routinely got to the basket against the Grizzlies.
I mean, just look at how quick Nunn’s first step was on this drive in the third quarter:
That wasn’t all, though, as K9 continued his onslaught into the fourth and scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the final period.
Among all his field goals late, perhaps this steal and slam early in the fourth was his most impressive:
Speaking of defense, Nunn did his thing against Morant and fought hard through screens time and time again.
When it was all said and done, the 24-year-old amassed 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a game-high plus-27 rating.
3. Silva Plays Well In Crunch Time
As usual, Chris Silva showed energy and effort on nearly every possession he was involved in.
In addition to fighting hard on the offensive glass and giving Miami second-chance opportunities, the rookie also came through with these two amazing blocks down the stretch:
In other words, he made winning plays when it mattered most.
In total, Silva recorded eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, six boards (three offensive), a game-high three blocks and a plus-18 rating.
Other Takeaways:
-With the HEAT needing a jolt of energy in the third quarter, Goran Dragić provided it with 11 points in the period. And while a bulk of those points came at the line thanks to his veteran acumen, he also hit two treys during the flurry.
Dragić finished with 19 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
-So…Derrick Jones Jr. posterized Jonas Valančiūnas in the second quarter:
Jones Jr. ended up with four points on 2-of-3 shooting and one rebound.
Game Notes:
-Jimmy Butler (Personal Reasons) did not play.
-Udonis Haslem (Sprained Left Wrist), Dion Waiters (Team Suspension) and James Johnson (Conditioning) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will now prep for a tough back-to-back set on the road against the Bucks on Saturday and Timberwolves on Sunday. From there, Miami will return home to host the Hawks on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.