The Miami HEAT fell to the San Antonio Spurs 112-88 Wednesday night at AT&T Center. Josh Richardson led the way for the HEAT with 17 points.
1. Wade Sharp Again
For the second consecutive night, Dwyane Wade had a solid outing on the road. The vet nailed a number of tough, turnaround jumpers over Danny Green and also had a few finishes around the rim. It was quite encouraging to see him look fresh despite it being the tail end of a back-to-back.
Speaking of fresh, let’s take a look at one of those aforementioned jumpers over Green.
With 4:13 to go in the second quarter, Wade made his move on the right baseline with Green tightly contesting. After he backed him down, he turned over his right shoulder and buried the jumper.
In all, Wade had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists on 8-of-13 shooting.
2. Young Guns Never Quit
Both Justise Winslow and Richardson continued to plug away against the Spurs despite the deficit. Winslow had some solid finishes at the rim in addition to a corner three, but his first field goal was his most impressive.
With 10:51 left in the second quarter, the 19-year-old received the ball in transition just past half court. From there, he attacked from the right wing, absorbed contact from David West and got the shot the fall.
On the flip side of the ball, both rookies had some tough assignments for a majority of the contest. Winslow often matched up with Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw, while Richardson guarded Tony Parker at times. Whenever you get a chance to test your skills against some proven champions, it always brings out the best in you. Winslow and Richardson rose to the occasion and accepted the challenge against some of the best the league has to offer.
The former Blue Devil finished with 10 points and two rebounds, while the former Volunteer shot 7-of-13 for his team-high 17 points to go along with four assists and two boards.
3. Whiteside Continues to Clean the Glass
Ever since he’s come off the bench, Hassan Whiteside has shown a penchant for making an instant impact. That was the case once more on Wednesday night, as the big man rattled off six points and four boards in his 3:57 to close out the first quarter. As usual, Whiteside fought hard on the offensive glass and kept possessions alive for Miami. In total, the 26-year-old had 12 points, 14 rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks.
Game Note: Luol Deng (thigh bruise), Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.