The Miami HEAT defeated the Washington Wizards 112-101 Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Goran Dragić led the way for the HEAT with 34 points.
1. Dragić Tallies A HEAT Career-High
From the very beginning, Dragić was just in another gear against Washington. While he mixed things up offensively throughout the night, he did a lot of damage from the perimeter.
About midway through the second quarter, Dragić calmed things down for Miami and got the team back on track offensively. In fact, the point guard tallied 12 points and two assists in the period, as he helped give the HEAT a 59-53 lead entering halftime.
Of course, one of Dragić’s best plays of the quarter came in transition. With about four and a half minutes to play in the second, he grabbed the defensive rebound and took it up court. Once Dragić saw a lane to the bucket, he turned on the jets against Kelly Oubre Jr., absorbed contact from the 21-year-old and finished the play.
After missing most of the third due to foul trouble, Dragić made up for it with a fantastic fourth quarter where he led the team with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. In short, it was just his night. In addition to his 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting, the Slovenian also had five rebounds and five assists.
2. J. Johnson Shows His Versatility
While James Johnson provided a spark off the bench in the first half, his biggest contribution came in the fourth quarter. It was at that point when the 29-year-old played some point-center for the HEAT with the team going small.
Johnson ended up with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the fourth, as he continued to make good decisions with the ball in his hands. On the flip side of the ball, he held Markieff Morris to just 40 percent shooting and also forced some misses from Bradley Beal late in the game. Johnson finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
3. Whiteside Sticks With It
Although Marcin Gortat defended Hassan Whiteside pretty well throughout the contest, the 7-footer out of Marshall still found ways to be productive. As usual, Whiteside remained ready for the catch in the post and also fought hard on the glass.
In all, the 27-year-old scored 17 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked two shots.
Other Takeaways:
-Josh McRoberts continued to show how gifted he is as a passer and tallied seven points, eight rebounds and five assists on the evening.
Game Note:
-Dion Waiters (pectineus tear) and Justise Winslow (sore left wrist) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT continue their season-long homestand Wednesday night against the Pacers at 7:00 PM. Tickets for that game can be found here.