The Miami HEAT defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 90-81 Friday night at FedExForum. Tyler Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 22 points.
1. Tyler Johnson Will Dunk On You
From the second Tyler Johnson stepped on the court in the first quarter, he made sure his presence was felt. Throughout the first half, Johnson mixed up his approach with tough drives to the basket and in-rhythm jumpers. On the flip side of the ball, he hustled as usual and made things difficult for Memphis. On two separate plays late in the second quarter, he forced a turnover from Tony Allen in defensive transition and then showed great anticipation on a deflection shortly thereafter.
As the game progressed, Johnson continued to be aggressive. In particular, things really got fun late in the fourth when he came through with a fantastic slam in transition.
To start the sequence with 3:09 to play in the fourth, Hassan Whiteside swatted Mike Conley’s layup attempt off the backboard and into the hands of James Johnson. James Johnson then raced down court and hit Tyler Johnson cutting towards the basket. From there, the combo-guard threw it down over Andrew Harrison to put Miami up 88-73.
In addition to his 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, Tyler Johnson also amassed five rebounds and two steals.
2. Three-Point Barrage
Thanks to some really good ball movement, the HEAT drained 12 threes against the Grizzlies. Leading the charge, of course, was Josh Richardson, who shot 4-of-7 from deep. That said, James Johnson also hit some big threes for Miami, including one that put his team up 85-73 with 3:58 to play. The forward finished with 13 points, six boards and two blocks, while Richardson tallied 12 points, four assists and three rebounds.
3. Waiters Stays Aggressive
Dion Waiters attacked the basket all evening and either finished for himself or dished it out to his teammates. One of his best plays came with 6:38 left in the first quarter when he took Troy Daniels off the dribble. From there, Waiters took it to the rim, hung in the air with Deyonta Davis contesting and finished the play high off the glass.
As usual, the 24-year-old also worked hard on the defensive end and made nothing come easy for his man. Waiters ended up with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Other Takeaways:
In all, Haslem totaled four points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action.
Game Note:
-Goran Dragić (strained left elbow), Willie Reed (hyperextended right knee), Justise Winslow (sore left wrist) and Wayne Ellington (right thigh contusion) all sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will finally head home for another matchup with the Grizzlies on Saturday at 8:00 PM. Miami will then face Boston on Monday at 7:30 PM. Tickets for both games can be found here.