The Miami HEAT defeated the Orlando Magic 117-111 Saturday night at Amway Center. Tyler Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 31 points.
1. Dragić Gets It Done In Crunch Time
While Goran Dragić was quite assertive in his approach early on, nothing tops what he did in the fourth quarter. The Slovenian simply would not be denied on Saturday night, as he scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the fourth, including a tough jumper over Bismack Biyombo that put Miami up 114-111 with 23.8 seconds remaining.
Of course, the Dragon also set up his teammates supremely well and led the HEAT with eight assists on the evening. In addition to those dimes, Dragić also amassed 25 points on 11-of-22 shooting, four boards and a block.
2. TJ Brings Miami Back In The Third
With Miami trailing by double-digits at halftime, Tyler Johnson answered the call and absolutely went off in the third quarter. Not only did the 25-year-old move well off the ball as usual, but he also attacked Orlando off the dribble for a handful of drives. Thanks to that varied approach, Johnson scored a whopping 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the period. Yes, you read that right.
Perhaps his most explosive play of the flurry came early in the third when he wisely cut to the basket and finished a great lob from Josh Richardson.
A little later, Johnson knocked down a big three late in the fourth and also hit two clutch free throws with 13.8 seconds left.
In addition to his season-high 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting, the Fresno State product also had four rebounds and three assists.
3. K.O. Crafty Early
Kelly Olynyk was up to his usual tricks against the Magic, as he got the defense to bite on a number of shot-fakes and took full advantage at the charity stripe. In fact, he led the team with ten free-throw attempts and made nine of them. That said, the 7-footer also connected on a couple shots from downtown in the third quarter.
One of his more impressive plays came on the defensive end when he showed quick hands on this steal in the second quarter and smartly drew a foul on D.J. Augustin:
In all, Olynyk tallied 17 points, six rebounds and three assists to go along with that steal.
Other Takeaways:
-Although Bam Adebayo had a nice slam in the second quarter, his best sequence came in the fourth when he showed what he could do on both ends:
Adebayo finished with six points on 3-of-5 shooting and three rebounds.
-Richardson had the tall task of guarding Aaron Gordon in the fourth quarter, and he competed very hard against the versatile power forward. How so? Well, J. Rich helped hold Gordon to just 1-of-5 shooting in the fourth.
When it was all said and done, Richardson totaled 11 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block.
Game Note:
-James Johnson (right ankle bursitis) and Justise Winslow (left knee strain) sat out. Dion Waiters (left ankle sprain), Okaro White (left foot surgery), Rodney McGruder (left tibia surgery) and A.J. Hammons (Sioux Falls assignment) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT won’t be back in action until Wednesday against the Pistons at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game at AmericanAirlines Arena can be found here.