The Miami HEAT defeated the Atlanta Hawks 96-90 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. The game was presented by Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. Tyler Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 14 points.
1. Richardson Locks Things Down
Simply put, Josh Richardson did a little bit of everything against the Hawks. Whether it was handling the ball, playing off the ball, contesting shots or creating turnovers, the 24-year-old got the job done.
His most impressive sequence came at the very beginning of the third quarter when he blocked Dennis Schröder on back-to-back possessions.
Shortly after that, Richardson nailed a catch-and-shoot trey. Otherwise on the offensive end, the former Tennessee Volunteer knocked down some shots from the perimeter and drew contact on attacks to the basket. In all, Richardson tallied 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, three boards, two assists, a plus-15 rating and a team-high four blocks.
2. Winslow Shows His Versatility…As Usual
By now you should know how versatile Justise Winslow is. If not, you saw it on full display on Sunday. After coming off the bench for James Johnson and mainly playing power forward in the first half, the 21-year-old was the primary ball handler late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. For a perfect example of what he can do running the offense, look no further than this tough drive at the end of the third.
On the flip side of the ball, the former Duke Blue Devil was strong on the defensive end, blocking Schröder twice and Quinn Cook once.
Winslow finished with six points on 3-of-6 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and a plus-11 rating to go along with his aforementioned three blocks.
3. Olynyk Gets Going After Halftime
While Kelly Olynyk got off to a slow start, he settled in and made some pretty impressive plays in the second half. He hit a few outside shots and came through with a tough drive, but this pass to Wayne Ellington in the corner showed what excellent vision he has.
When it was all said and done, Olynyk had nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, eight boards and a team-high five assists.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will be back in action on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 PM. After that, Miami will play the Magic in Orlando on Saturday before returning home to face the Hornets on Monday, October 9. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.