The Miami HEAT defeated the Phoenix Suns 108-92 Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dwyane Wade led the way for the HEAT with 27 points and seven assists.
1. Dragic Keeps Up the Pace
Early on, Goran Dragic did his usual damage in transition with some easy layups. However, the Slovenian also nailed a few catch-and-shoot threes thanks to solid ball movement. The quick start allowed him to stay in a rhythm, as the point guard remained aggressive throughout the night. In the second half, Dragic kept pressure on the Suns and weaved through their defense for some tough conversions in the half court. Not to mention, he also had a big offensive rebound and put-back inside to put Miami up 95-81 as Phoenix was gaining some momentum. Dragic finished the game with 25 points, seven boards and four assists on 10-of-18 shooting.
2. Wade Leads the Way
Wade did a little bit of everything against the Suns. He attacked the basket, made some solid cuts and knocked down mid-range jumpers on Thursday. The vet had Devin Booker on him for much of the night, so he made sure to take advantage.
Having said that, one of Wade’s niftier moves actually came against Alex Len near the end of the second quarter. To start the sequence, the vet grabbed the offensive rebound, hit Len with the shot-fake and brought it back to the right block. From there, Wade went with a subtle crossover to blow past Len and finish the baseline drive.
In addition to leading the team in scoring, the 34-year-old also led the team with seven assists. Perhaps his best dish came on a cross-court laser to Joe Johnson for a 3-pointer late in the fourth.
3. Whiteside Dominates Defensively
After scoring a career-high 26 points against the Bulls in his last outing, Hassan Whiteside had another good performance versus Phoenix. The center made his presence felt on both ends, as he created transition opportunities thanks to his stout defense inside and also had a few finishes in the post. Of course, he nailed a difficult jumper too off the pick-and-pop with Dragic in the first quarter. Speaking of picks, the 26-year-old set hard screens to free up his teammates for a majority of the game.
Still, Whiteside’s biggest impact Thursday night was on the defensive end. A perfect example of what his rim protection does for Miami came towards the end of the first quarter. With 1:01 to go in the quarter, he blocked Archie Goodwin’s shot attempt and Gerald Green grabbed the rebound. Green then passed it up ahead to Justise Winslow, who brought it down court and threw it to Josh Richardson. From there, Richardson found Dragic to his left for the finish in transition.
In total, Whiteside swatted five shots to go along with his nine points and 11 rebounds.
Other Takeaways:
-Winslow hit some big shots from the perimeter in the final quarter to keep the HEAT ahead. In fact, seven of his nine points came in the fourth. The 19-year-old also tallied seven boards, two assists and a plus-eight rating against the Suns.
Game Note: Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.