The Miami HEAT fell to the Detroit Pistons 107-98 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. James Johnson led the way for the HEAT with 20 points.
1. Ellington Keeps It Up
After being in and out of the lineup due to various injuries, Wayne Ellington has finally found a nice rhythm over his last few games. Sunday night was no exception, as the swingman nailed four treys and continued to light up the scoreboard.
In addition to his 3-pointers, Ellington also knocked down a few mid-range jumpers and a nice sky-high floater. In short, the 29-year-old was cool, calm and collected throughout. Ellington finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.
2. J. Johnson & Williams Catch Fire in the Fourth
With the Pistons regaining momentum in the fourth quarter, both James Johnson and Derrick Williams did all they could to keep Miami in it. In fact, Johnson and Williams scored all 17 of the HEAT’s points in the final period. Throughout the flurry, both guys found the range from the perimeter and also got into the paint. Johnson led the team with 20 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting from deep, while Williams ended up with 10 points, six boards and two assists on 4-of-6 shooting in his 13 minutes of action.
3. Richardson the Playmaker
To put it simply, Josh Richardson continued to make good decisions with the ball in his hands. Not only did he lead the team with eight assists on the night, but he also mixed up his offensive approach. Whether it was jumpers off the dribble, catch-and-shoot treys or aggressive takes to the rack, the young man had it all on display. Richardson finished with 14 points and two steals to go along with his eight assists.
Other Takeaways:
-Miami nearly set a franchise record for 3-pointers made in a half, as it shot a scorching-hot 10-of-15 from deep through the first two quarters. Of course, a lot of that had to do with some really good ball movement. In fact, the HEAT totaled 20 assists on 24 made field goals before halftime.
-As usual, Rodney McGruder competed hard on both ends and gave it all he had. In particular, he came through with a fantastic play in defensive transition to force a miss from Andre Drummond on a 4-on-1 fast break for Detroit late in the second quarter.
Another nice defensive play for the 25-year-old came earlier in the contest. With 10:31 to play in the first period, McGruder read the passing lane and swiped an errant pass from Reggie Jackson. He then gave it to Ellington up ahead and ran the floor with him. From there, Ellington hit Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with a behind-the-back dribble and flipped it back to McGruder, who absorbed contact from Marcus Morris and finished the play.
Otherwise throughout the game, McGruder defended both Morris and Jackson quite well. The former Kansas State Wildcat finished with eight points, four rebounds and an assist against Detroit.
Game Note:
-Hassan Whiteside (eye), Justise Winslow (shoulder), Goran Dragić (back spasms), Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) and Dion Waiters (pectineus tear) all sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT will now embark on their longest road trip of the season. Miami’s six-game docket consists of the Suns, Kings, Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Bucks. The HEAT’s next home game will be on January 17 against the Rockets at 7:30 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.