The Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 108-96 Wednesday night at Amway Center. Hassan Whiteside led the way for the Heat with 18 points.
1. Whiteside & Waiters Turn the Tide
While Whiteside almost notched a double-double in the first half, he really started to come alive in the third quarter. In fact, the center tallied eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and an assist in the period. Whether it was rim-rocking dunks or hook-shots, Whiteside did it all on the offensive end.
That said, the 27-year-old’s biggest impact came on the defensive side of the ball. Thanks to his rim protection down low, Miami was able to get out in transition for some scores on the other end.
For a prime example of that look no further than 9:51 left in the third quarter when Whiteside swallowed Elfrid Payton’s shot attempt at the rim. From there, he passed it to Goran Dragic, who took it all the way to the cup for the tough finish over Serge Ibaka.
In addition to his 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Whiteside also led the team with 14 boards (four offensive) and four blocks.
Like Whiteside, Dion Waiters also did some of his best work in the third period. In fact, Waiters dished out all four of his assists in the quarter and kept the offense running smoothly. Otherwise, the 24-year-old continued to get into the paint at will and converted some tough layups. Waiters finished with nine points and six rebounds to go along with his four assists on the night.
Thanks to both Whiteside and Waiters, the Heat outscored the Magic 30-16 in the third and were able to carry over that momentum into the early part of the fourth.
2. Dragic Comes Through in the Clutch
After some early foul trouble, Dragic started to get going towards the end of the first half. While that was important, the Slovenian nailed some big shots in the fourth as Orlando was trying to mount a comeback. In all, the point guard tallied 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.
3. T. Johnson Does It All
Tyler Johnson certainly provided a spark off the bench for the HEAT. As usual, the 24-year-old moved well off the ball for some smooth jumpers and nifty finishes at the rim. On the flip side of the ball, Johnson fought hard through screens and was relentless in his pursuit.
One of the young man’s most impressive plays of the contest came early on in the fourth quarter. With 11:30 to go in the period, Justise Winslow brought the ball up court and found Johnson cutting along the baseline. From there, the former Fresno State guard rose up and finished the jam despite being fouled by Jeff Green.
In total, Johnson had 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
4. Jack of All Trades
Winslow showed his versatility early on against the Magic. After starting at the three, he shifted over to the point-forward role and guided the second unit at the beginning of the second quarter. He did all this while also defending Ibaka on the other end.
One of Winslow’s most impressive plays came midway through the first quarter. After Whiteside secured the defensive rebound, he passed it to Winslow. From there, the 20-year old pushed it in transition, absorbed contact from Ibaka and got the tough finish to go. He also hit the ensuing free throw to put Miami up 15-12.
As the game progressed, Winslow continued to look comfortable with the ball in his hands and attacked the rim with purpose. The former Duke Blue Devil finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a plus-15 rating.
Other Takeaways:
-James Johnson looked really good on Wednesday night. After mixing things up with drives to the rim and 3-pointers, the wily vet had some excellent feeds to Willie Reed in the fourth. In all, Johnson had 11 points, six assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes of action.
Game Note:
-Wayne Ellington (right thigh contusion), Josh McRoberts (right foot) and Josh Richardson (sprained right MCL) sat out.
