The Miami HEAT defeated the Sacramento Kings 107-102 Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. Tyler Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 23 points.
1. Johnson & Johnson At It Again
To put it simply, Tyler Johnson and James Johnson continued to give Miami a much-needed boost off the bench. While the duo got off to a great start in the first half, it really made an impact down the stretch. In fact, T. Johnson and J. Johnson combined for 13 points, four boards and three blocks in the fourth quarter.
Specifically, T. Johnson made a few game-changing plays in the final minute to get the HEAT back in the win column. First, he blocked Darren Collison at the rim with 50.6 seconds left...
Otherwise, T. Johnson did a lot of damage from the perimeter and knocked down a bunch of in-rhythm jumpers. Still, his biggest contribution came on the defensive end, as he routinely altered shots at the rim. In addition to his 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, T. Johnson also had six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal.
J. Johnson, meanwhile, mixed it up with a few 3-pointers and some attacks in transition. While that was vital, the 29-year-old also created for his teammates and protected the rim often against Sacramento. J. Johnson finished with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, six rebounds, six assists and a team-high three blocks.
2. Collective Effort Against Cousins
Entering the contest, DeMarcus Cousins had been on an absolute tear. As a result, Willie Reed, Udonis Haslem and J. Johnson dug in and did all they could to disrupt the talented center. The trio succeeded for the most part, as Cousins shot just 4-of-15 from the field and committed five fouls. In particular, Miami’s bigs did a great job of fronting Boogie in the post to deny him the ball.
Otherwise, J. Johnson, Reed and Haslem all played well on the offensive end too. Haslem scored a season-high seven points, while Reed tallied six points, three rebounds and two blocks.
3. Dragić Sticks With It
While Goran Dragić didn’t shoot as well from the field as he’s used to, he continued to attack the basket and did a lot of damage from the charity stripe. In particular, Dragić put pressure on the Kings in the third quarter and scored eight points in the period. That said, the Slovenian had a fantastic finish at the rim over Cousins in the fourth. In all, the Dragon scored 19 points, dished out a team-high seven assists and stole the ball twice.
Other Takeaways:
-Thanks to Miami’s superb ball movement in the first half (17 assists on 24 made field goals), Wayne Ellington got off to a great start against Sacramento. In fact, the 29-year-old nailed his first four 3-pointers, with three of those coming off catch-and-shoot opportunities. In total, Ellington had 13 points.
-After missing 20 games with a pectineus tear, Dion Waiters made his return to action on Wednesday night. He finished with four points, one rebound and one assist in 10 minutes of action.
Game Note:
-Justise Winslow (torn right labrum), Hassan Whiteside (right retinal contusion) and Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will now travel to L.A. for a matchup with the Lakers on Friday night at 10:30 PM. Miami’s next home game will be on January 17 against the Rockets at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.