The Miami HEAT defeated the Washington Wizards 89-88 Wednesday night at Cox Pavilion in the Las Vegas Summer League. Justin Robinson led the way for the HEAT with 19 points.
1. Robinson Shows No Fear in the Fourth
Crunch time tells a lot about a player and their mental fortitude. By the way Robinson played down the stretch on Wednesday, you could tell that not much fazes him. The 5-foot-8 guard simply put the team on his back in the fourth and scored 13 points in the period. Time and time again, he got into the paint with relative ease and finished plays like this one to put Miami up 89-88 with 11 seconds remaining.
Of course, he locked-in defensively on Marcus Keene too.
In addition to his game-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Robinson also had three assists, two boards and a steal.
2. Murray Mixes It Up
If there’s one thing we know for sure about Lamond Murray Jr., it’s that he can flat out shoot the ball. That was on display early and often against Washington, as the Pepperdine product moved well off the ball and made the defense pay from the perimeter. He also did damage at the rim, including this dunk in transition…
…and a few vital tip-ins later in the fourth quarter.
While all that was important, his rim protection along with Sebastian Saiz to force a miss from Sheldon McClellan sealed the deal for the HEAT.
Murray Jr. finished with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting and five rebounds (three offensive).
3. Red-Hot Start for Hammons
Impressive.
That’s really the best way to describe A.J. Hammons’ start to the contest on Wednesday. Whether it was a put-back jam like this…
…or in-rhythm jumpers, Hammons showed his wide array of skills in the first quarter. He also had two nice blocks in the period.
The 7-footer ended up with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and a game-high three blocks.
4. Saiz Shows What He’s Got
After not playing as much the past few games, Sebastian Saiz made the most of his opportunity against the Wizards. Throughout the contest, Saiz mixed things up with nifty hook shots in the post and even a 3-pointer for good measure.
Later, the 22-year-old came up with a great hustle play in the fourth to save the ball and initiate a fast-break opportunity for Miami.
You also can’t forget that aforementioned block on McClellan to close it out.
In all, Saiz tallied nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, seven boards and two blocks.
Other Takeaways:
-Despite having a slow start, Zach Auguste got going in the third quarter with some of his usual energy and effort plays, such as this offensive rebound and jam.
Auguste grabbed a game-high nine rebounds (five offensive) to go along with 10 points, three assists and a plus-nine rating.
Game Note:
-Bam Adebayo, Okaro White and London Perrantes sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 6:30PM ET. Television coverage is on ESPN 2.