The Miami HEAT defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 103-98 Sunday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Goran Dragic led the way for the HEAT with 23 points.
1. Dragic Locked-In From the Start
After struggling a bit from the field on Friday night, Dragic got back on track in a big way. This time around against Philadelphia, the Slovenian mixed it up with tough finishes inside, smooth mid-range jumpers off screens and timely 3-pointers.
Of course, Dragic also finished some plays in transition for Miami. One of his best plays on the break was courtesy of Hassan Whiteside’s stout defense. To start the sequence, Whiteside swatted Jerami Grant from behind and Luol Deng came up with the ball. From there, Deng pushed it down court and found Dragic wide open on the right wing. The point guard finished the rest by sinking the trey to tie the game with 6:33 to go in the first quarter.
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Dragic remained aggressive all night, as he looked for his shot quite often with some other guys missing shots they usually make. The 29-year-old’s biggest field goal, however, came on a clutch corner three that gave the HEAT a 95-89 advantage with 1:39 remaining. In short, Dragic was superb from the get-go. In addition to his 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, he also grabbed eight boards and dished out five assists.
2. Wade and Whiteside Come Alive in Crunch Time
With both the HEAT and 76ers trading blows, Dwyane Wade and Whiteside made some key plays in the fourth quarter to get the victory. Their best sequence started with 3:26 to go in the game when Whiteside blocked Robert Covington with authority. Dragic then grabbed the ball and raced up court before passing it to Wade on his left. From there, Wade proceeded to throw it down over Ish Smith with one hand.
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The 34-year-old scored 10 of his 23 points in the final period and did most of his damage at the charity stripe. Whiteside, meanwhile, tallied seven points, six rebounds and three blocks in the fourth quarter alone. In total for the game, the big man had 14 points, 13 rebounds (five offensive) and seven blocks.
3. Johnson Picks His Spots
Joe Johnson had a very strong first half on Sunday night. The vet kept Philadelphia on its toes with jumpers from the perimeter, shots in the post and patient drives to the basket. His chemistry with Wade was on display a few times early on in the contest, so hopefully the two can continue to work on that in practice. Johnson ended up with 14 points, five boards and an assist on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-2 from distance.
Game Note: Chris Bosh and Tyler Johnson (shoulder surgery) sat out.
