The Miami HEAT fell to the Indiana Pacers 120-95 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Wayne Ellington led the way for the HEAT with 21 points.
1. J. Rich Gives It His All
Despite the loss, Josh Richardson had a solid game on both ends.
Throughout the contest, the 24-year-old varied up his approach against Indiana with aggressive takes to the basket and some of his usual shots from the perimeter.
On the flip side of the ball, Richardson did a nice job of defending Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanović.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that one of Richardson’s better plays of the night came thanks to his defensive activity. Just check out this impressive steal and score late in the third quarter:
Richardson finished with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting, two assists and two steals.
2. 3llington x7
When Ellington checked into the game for the first time, he was ready to let it fly. And boy, did he ever.
The 29-year-old nailed four treys in the first half and did a good job of finding the open area on the floor. As the game progressed, Ellington continued to knock down shots from beyond the arc and also competed hard on the defensive end.
In addition to his season-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, the former North Carolina Tar Heel also accumulated two boards and a steal.
3. Whiteside & Bam Have Their Moments
Although the Pacers ultimately came out ahead, Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo played well in spurts.
Whiteside’s best sequence of the game came with 5:02 left in the second quarter when he swatted Thaddeus Young, ran the floor and finished a two-handed flush on the other end:
The 28-year-old ended up with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, seven boards and two blocks.
Adebayo, on the other hand, brought energy and effort off the bench when he entered in the third quarter. On one play in particular, he did a nice job of defending Myles Turner and forcing a jump ball.
Of course, there was also a BAM JAM in the quarter:
In all, the rookie tallied four points on 2-of-3 shooting.
Other Takeaways:
-While Dion Waiters didn’t score against Indiana, he did have this nifty double-spin move and dish to Justise Winslow early in the second quarter:
Game Note:
-Okaro White (left foot surgery), Rodney McGruder (left tibia surgery), A.J. Hammons (Sioux Falls assignment) and Matt Williams Jr. (Sioux Falls assignment) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-Next up for the HEAT are the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.