The Miami HEAT fell to the Atlanta Hawks 110-104 Monday night at Philips Arena. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 26 points.
1. J. Rich Still Ballin’
After a career night against the Clippers, Josh Richardson carried over his torrid play to Atlanta. In the first half on Monday, the 24-year-old continued to knock down catch-and-shoot treys and pull-up mid-range jumpers with relative ease.
That said, let’s not forget this awesome steal and slam at the beginning of the second quarter:
As the game progressed, Richardson attacked the basket a bit more, especially in the fourth quarter.
While that was important, the former Tennessee Volunteer did a nice job of defending Dennis Schröder down the stretch and blocked him twice in the fourth:
Simply put, Richardson did all he could to try and give Miami the win. In addition to his team-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting, the swingman also had four boards, three assists, a team-high three steals and two blocks.
2. TJ & Waiters Sharp Late
While Tyler Johnson had a slow start against the Hawks, he certainly flipped the script in the second half. Thanks to some tough runners and attacks, Johnson scored 11 of his 19 points after halftime.
Of course, nothing was better than this huge jam over DeAndre' Bembry:
Johnson also accumulated three rebounds, two assists and two steals to go along with his 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
Dion Waiters, meanwhile, played well from beginning to end and scored nine points in the fourth, mostly off drives in transition.
Waiters ended up with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, five assists and three boards.
3. Bam Shows His Toughness
Although Bam Adebayo had this fantastic and-one finish towards the end of the first quarter…
…the rookie’s greatest contributions came in the fourth.
In fact, the 20-year-old led the team with a plus-seven rating in the period and fought hard against Ersan Ilyasova.
How so?
Watch this:
Adebayo finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Other Takeaways:
-By now, you should be familiar with Jordan Mickey. Due to some injuries, Mickey has taken advantage of some more playing time. That continued on Monday, as the 23-year-old fought hard on the glass and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Of course, he also came through with some nice finishes inside.
Mickey’s best sequence of the night showed his prowess on both ends of the floor:
In addition to his 10 boards, the former LSU Tiger also had nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Game Note:
-Goran Dragić (left elbow sprain), James Johnson (right ankle bursitis), Justise Winslow (left knee strain) and Hassan Whiteside (left knee bone bruise) sat out. Okaro White (left foot surgery), Rodney McGruder (left tibia surgery), A.J. Hammons (Sioux Falls assignment) and Matt Williams Jr. (Sioux Falls assignment) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will now head to Boston to face the Celtics on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. Miami’s next home game will be on Friday against the Mavericks at 8:00 PM. Tickets for that matchup at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.