The Miami HEAT defeated the Washington Wizards 110-105 Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Gerald Green led the way for the HEAT with 28 points and nine rebounds.
1. Gerald Green…Scoring Machine
It seems like Green hasn’t missed a shot all month. In reality, Green has been hot since the Red, White & Pink game last Thursday. Against Washington, Green provided a much-needed jolt off the bench. As has been the case for a majority of the preseason, the vet scored in bunches. He mixed it up with mid-range jumpers off pin downs, 3-pointers in transition and drives to the hoop. On the defensive end, Green came away with a nice steal on Otto Porter and an even better block on a Drew Gooden jump shot in the second quarter.
His best sequence of the night though came about midway through the fourth quarter when he sank back-to-back 3-pointers to give the HEAT a 96-95 lead. Green led Miami with 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting and nine boards.
2. Tyler Johnson Dazzles
Johnson has had himself a solid preseason and Wednesday night was no different. As usual, Johnson showed a lot of toughness against the Wizards and played well on both ends. In particular, he had a few heads-up steals from behind as Washington was bringing the ball up court in transition.
Additionally, Johnson continued to be one of Miami’s most consistent jump shooters and tallied 14 points, including 2-of-3 from downtown. He also had an excellent dunk in the first quarter.
With under a minute to go in the quarter, Johnson passed it to Josh McRoberts at the left wing and cut right to the hoop. McRoberts then found Johnson with the excellent feed, which Johnson took and slammed over Drew Gooden.
3. Hassan Whiteside Has a Party on the Glass
From the start against the Wizards, Whiteside got into a rhythm offensively. His teammates often found him in the post and he scored Miami’s first six points as a result. As the game continued, Whiteside fought very hard on the glass and showed a lot of hustle. In a frenetic sequence at the end of the first half, Whiteside hit the deck for a loose ball and pushed it out to Mario Chalmers, who got the shot off a little after the buzzer. While the shot didn’t count, it was still great to see Whiteside lay out like that.
The big man finished with 10 points, eight boards (four offensive) and four blocks. Perhaps his most impressive rejection came on John Wall as the point guard charged full speed ahead in transition.
Other Takeaways:
-While the HEAT got off to a slow start offensively, they received some good looks later in the game. In particular, Chris Bosh was the main beneficiary. Bosh knocked down a few 3-pointers and totaled 13 points on the night. Even if the three-ball isn’t falling, it’s important for him to take those shots so he can space the floor.
-With Goran Dragic in foul trouble, Chalmers played a lot at point guard and had his best outing of the preseason. Chalmers looked in control of the offense and setup his teammates very well. He also converted on some tough drives to the hoop. Chalmers had 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting and dished out four assists against Washington.
Game Note: Justise Winslow sat out.