Dragic, Whiteside Push Miami Past Phoenix

The visiting Miami Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns, 126-115, at Talking Stick
Resort Arena on Wednesday night,. The Heat (5-6) grabbed a decent lead in the
first quarter, and they would never let it go. After jumping to a 69-54
following the first half, Phoenix (4-8) showed signs of potentially turning
things around but every time they got closer, Miami pushed them away, and
ultimately came away on top after finishing things in the fourth quarter. The
win represented Miami’s third victory over their last six games, while the Suns
dropped their third straight contest. This means that Phoenix has had at least
two three-game losing streaks during the current campaign. The Heat enjoyed a
balanced scoring effort this Wednesday, as seven of their eight players that saw
the floor contributed with at least 10 points. Goran Dragic led the way with 29
points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Hassan Whiteside added a
double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. James Johnson produced on both ends
of the court coming off the bench (15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and
two steals), and both Wayne Ellington (15 points) and Kelly Olynyk (10 points)
added double figures ias well. The one player who didn’t reach the 10-point
plateau was Josh Richardson, who only got four points. On the other hand, Devin
Booker led the way for the Suns with 30 points although he only made nine of his
23 shots. Mike James had 18 points, and T,J. Warren added 16. Jared Dudley had a
decent effort off the bench as well, finishing the contest with 13 points and
six boards.