The Miami HEAT defeated the Dallas Mavericks 93-90 Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. Chris Bosh led the way for the HEAT with 20 points.
1. Bosh Seals It
Early on, Bosh received some good looks and got off to a quick start offensively. He did a lot of damage from his usual sweet spots around the elbows, but he also took it to the rack against Zaza Pachulia.
His most emphatic drive to the rim took place with a little under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Bosh had the ball on the left wing and went right by Pachulia. He then gathered himself and threw down the massive dunk over Justin Anderson.
While that was spectacular, Bosh made two key plays down the stretch that led to the victory. With Miami hanging onto a two-point lead, he made the extra pass to Luol Deng on the right corner, who nailed the three to put the HEAT up 92-87 with 1:04 to go. Then on the last play of the game, he played great defense on Dirk Nowitzki and switched to guard Raymond Felton. Bosh contested Felton’s three very well to force a miss. Those are the kind of plays that really make a difference. In addition to his 20 points, Bosh also grabbed four rebounds on the night.
2. Wade Picks It Up After Halftime
Wade stayed on the attack in the fourth and sank four free throws down the stretch to keep Miami ahead. He finished the game with 18 points, eight boards and four assists.
3. Whiteside Returns
Entering the night, it was unclear whether or not Hassan Whiteside would give it a go. Luckily for the HEAT, he did so and made an instant impact. Once he checked in with 8:11 left in the second quarter, he changed the complexion of the game. Thanks to his presence, Miami went on a quick 20-11 run to take a four-point lead late in the quarter. Whiteside got back to his usual ways and altered numerous shots at the rim in addition to eight points and three boards in the period.
Not to mention, his first field goal of the game came on a spectacular post move. On that play with 6:12 left in the second quarter, he sized-up McGee on the left wing. He then took a dribble, spun to his left towards the rim and threw down the monster one-handed jam over McGee and Anderson.
Whiteside continued to play well in the second half and came away with a bunch of blocked shots. In just 17 minutes of action, the big man totaled 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
Other Takeaways:
-While he didn’t score a whole lot, Goran Dragic set up him teammates very well and led the team with seven assists.
Game Notes: Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) and Chris Andersen (knee) sat out. Hassan Whiteside (hip) came off the bench.