The Miami HEAT defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 125-102 Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Hassan Whiteside led the way for the HEAT with 30 points and 20 rebounds.
1. 30-20 for Whiteside
There are quick starts and then there are the kinds of starts that Whiteside had on Saturday night. In short, the big fella was absolutely unstoppable from the opening tip. It didn’t matter whether it was Nerlens Noel, Ersan Ilyasova or Richaun Holmes guarding him; Whiteside found success. How much success? Well, he tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter alone.
That said, one of his better sequences in the game came late in the first half. With 2:10 to play in the second quarter, he hit a hook shot from the left block over Noel. Then immediately on the other end, he forced a miss from the 22-year-old, which allowed James Johnson to attack in transition and convert that into two free throws.
As the game progressed, Whiteside continued his onslaught on both ends of the floor. In addition to his 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting and 20 boards (six offensive), the 7-footer also blocked three shots. Whiteside’s 30-20 game was the first for a HEAT player since Shaquille O’Neal accomplished the feat in a playoff game on May 4, 2006 against the Bulls.
2. Wait3rs
Hot, hot, hot. That’s really the only way to characterize Dion Waiters’ performances of late. The 25-year-old continued to find the range from deep, as he nailed his first five treys of the night. He also created very well for his teammates, especially in the third quarter when he tallied four assists. In all, Waiters scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, dished out seven assists, swiped two steals and notched a team-high plus-30 rating.
3. Johnson & Johnson Back in Business
The dynamic duo off the bench is back. While it’s taken some time for Tyler Johnson to get back into the flow of things after returning from a shoulder injury, he seemed to shake off the rust on Saturday. In his 34 minutes of action, the 24-year-old initiated offense and attacked from both inside and outside. Of course, the combo guard also had a fantastic block in transition on Gerald Henderson with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
Johnson finished with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and six assists to go along with that block.
James Johnson, meanwhile, handled the ball as usual and also ran the pick-and-roll with Goran Dragić at times. On the defensive end, he came away with a nice steal and slam late in the third quarter.
J. Johnson ended up with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, six boards and three assists.
Other Takeaways:
-Dragić ensured there would be no comeback bid for the 76ers thanks to a 13-point, three-assist second half. Throughout the contest, the Slovenian set up his teammates with some great looks and was a big reason why the HEAT finished with 28 assists as a team. In all, Dragić tallied 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
-Miami has now won ten straight games for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
Game Note:
-Rodney McGruder did not play in the second half due to illness.
-Josh Richardson (left foot sprain), Justise Winslow (right shoulder surgery) and Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will now head out on a four-game road trip, which starts on Monday night against the Timberwolves. Miami won’t return home for a game until a week later on February 13 against the Magic. Tickets for that contest can be found here.