The Miami HEAT fell to the Charlotte Hornets 109-106 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Luol Deng led the way for the HEAT with 22 points.
1. Richardson and Whiteside Come Alive in the Fourth
With Miami down nine entering the fourth quarter, both Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside answered the call with a nice offensive surge to narrow the gap. Richardson continued to remain hot from the three-point line, while Whiteside did his usual damage inside. Both guys combined for 20 points in the final period and did all they could to try and will the HEAT to victory.
In addition to his shots from deep, Richardson also had a nice drive to the rack. With 10:07 to go in the fourth, the rookie drove inside from the left wing, went with a nice spin move at the block and converted the tough finish to cut Charlotte’s lead to three.
Richardson finished the game with 18 points and four rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from distance. Whiteside, meanwhile, scored 17 points and grabbed seven boards on 6-of-10 shooting.
While they were instrumental in the comeback, Dwyane Wade was equally as important later in the period. The vet converted two clutch layups late in the fourth, but missed a three at the buzzer that would have tied the game.
2. Deng Sharp on Both Ends
In short, Deng did his usual damage against the Hornets on Thursday. He hit a pair of catch-and-shoot three’s, moved well off the ball and crashed the offensive boards. With Wade struggling a bit, his solid play on the offensive end was vital.
On the flip side of the ball, Deng did a pretty good job of staying with Marvin Williams for most of the night. In all, the former Blue Devil tallied a game-high 22 points in addition to nine rebounds and three assists.
3. Dragic Off to the Races
Goran Dragic had a very quick start to the game, notching 12 points, six assists and five rebounds alone in the first half. Early on in the contest, the Slovenian pushed the pace and finished plays both in transition and off the dribble in the half court. To nobody’s surprise, he also led the team in assists.
One of Dragic’s nicest passes came with 11:05 left in the second quarter. At that point, he split Jeremy Lin and Troy Daniels at the left wing and hit Justise Winslow on the baseline once Frank Kaminsky slid over to contest. Winslow then finished the rest with a two-handed stuff.
Dragic totaled 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting against Charlotte.
Other Takeaways:
-In the first quarter, Miami did a good job of racing out in transition off misses and turnovers. As a result, the HEAT opened up a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter. Naturally, Dragic led the charge in the faster tempo, but Deng and Winslow also did the same.
Game Note: Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.