The Miami HEAT fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 110-107 Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dion Waiters led the way for the HEAT with 28 points and six assists.
1. Waiters Comes Through in the Clutch
In short, Waiters had the entire offensive repertoire on display Saturday night. Whether it was catch-and-shoot treys or aggressive takes to the rack, the guard usually converted. A big reason why he did damage around the rim was because he routinely beat his man off the dribble. For a perfect example of that, let’s take a look at a play towards the end of the third quarter.
With 2:54 left in the third, Waiters hit Jarell Martin with a crossover at the top of the key, took a few strides, elevated high in the air and finished the gorgeous layup even with Tony Allen sliding over to contest.
Waiters would continue his barrage into crunch time, as the 24-year-old scored Miami’s final six points of the game. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough in the end. In addition to his season-high 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting and six assists, Waiters also amassed five boards.
2. J. Johnson Erupts in the Fourth
3. McGruder = All Heart
With a number of key contributors out, Rodney McGruder has received some extended playing time of late. On Saturday night, the swingman continued to give maximum effort on nearly every play.
For a majority of the game, McGruder moved well off the ball and nailed shots from the perimeter. He also remained active on the offensive glass and kept possessions alive for the HEAT.
Perhaps his easiest finish of the evening came early on in transition. With 7:23 left in the first quarter, Derrick Williams spiked Troy Williams’ shot attempt into the hands of Josh Richardson. After taking a few dribbles, Richardson found McGruder streaking down court, who threw it down with two hands.
On the defensive end, the former Kansas State Wildcat did a commendable job of guarding both Mike Conley and Tony Allen. In all, McGruder scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting, grabbed four boards and dished out two assists.
Other Takeaways:
-Although Hassan Whiteside picked up two fouls in the first half, he still did some damage in his minutes before halftime. As usual, the 7-footer fought hard on the glass and converted a number of put-back attempts. Otherwise, Whiteside knocked down a few jumpers and hit some impressive hook-shots over Marc Gasol. The former Marshall standout finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks.
-Derrick Williams had a few nice spurts throughout the evening and showed his range often. The 25-year-old ended up with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Game Note:
-Goran Dragić (strained left elbow), Willie Reed (hyperextended right knee), Justise Winslow (sore left wrist) and Wayne Ellington (right thigh contusion) all sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Celtics Monday night at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.