The Miami HEAT defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-106 Friday night at Sleep Train Arena. Gerald Green led the way for the HEAT with 30 points.
1. Johnson and Dragic Come Through in Crunch Time
With Sacramento making a run late in the game, Joe Johnson and Goran Dragic answered the call in the fourth quarter. In fact, Johnson and Dragic combined for 13 of Miami’s 20 points in the final period. While Dragic did the bulk of his work from the foul line during that span, Johnson hit a clutch baseline jumper from 11-feet out with 1:15 left in the game. Speaking of clutch, Luol Deng essentially sealed the deal shortly thereafter with a corner three that put the HEAT up 110-104 with 45.7 seconds to play. The former Blue Devil hit all three of his treys in the contest and ended up with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
Otherwise, Dragic nailed a bunch of mid-range jumpers early on and finished the game with 18 points and seven assists. Johnson, meanwhile, converted a number of his usual runners en-route to a 14-point performance on 6-of-11 shooting.
2. Green Catches Fire
With Dwyane Wade out, Green received an opportunity to make some noise in the starting lineup. The vet did just that with a fantastic shooting display against the Kings. Thanks to his blazing-hot start, Miami was able to race out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. Green drilled his first seven shots on the evening, with most of his damage coming from downtown.
While that quick start was important, the swingman made sure to keep the pressure on Sacramento with a 10-point third quarter. In the period, Green had the mid-range game going as well. In short, it was his night from the very get-go. In addition to his season-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, Green also had three boards and three steals.
3. Winslow Shows His Strength
Justise Winslow fought hard on Friday night and found success on some difficult drives to the rim.
On one such instance with 44 seconds left in the third quarter, the former Blue Devil made his move at the left wing and drove inside past Rajon Rondo. He then absorbed contact from Willie Cauley-Stein and still got the finish to go. Winslow hit the ensuing free throw to put the HEAT up 92-75.
The rookie also converted a tough drive in the final period when Miami really needed it.
Otherwise, Winslow had a heads-up play at the end of the first quarter. With 4.5 seconds remaining in the first, Hassan Whiteside swatted Rudy Gay inside and Winslow came up with the ball. From there, the 20-year-old raced down court and banked-in the three at the buzzer.
In all, Winslow totaled 12 points and five rebounds.
4. Crisp Ball Movement Early On
Thanks to great ball movement early on, the HEAT shot the ball quite well in the first half. In fact, Miami tallied 15 assists on 28 made field goals and shot 63.6 percent through the first two quarters. As a result, the team notched its highest scoring half of the season with 66 points.
Game Notes:
-The HEAT shot 12-of-22 from beyond the arc.
-Dwyane Wade (back, neck), Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.