The Miami HEAT defeated the Denver Nuggets 92-81 Monday night at COX Pavilion in the Samsung Las Vegas Summer League. Rodney McGruder led the way for the HEAT with 23 points.
1. McGruder Ignites the Comeback
While McGruder had a solid first half, nothing could prepare Denver for what was to come in the third quarter. The shooting guard simply went off, as he scored 11 points in the period. Most of his shots did come from beyond the arc, but he also converted an impressive floater during his run in the third. Thanks to McGruder’s offensive onslaught, Miami went on a 24-11 run and took the lead entering the fourth.
In addition to his team-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (5-of-8 from downtown), the 24-year-old also tallied three boards.
2. Watch Out for Weber
As usual, Briante Weber remained very active on the defensive end and led the team with six steals on the night. His most vital swipes came in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets were trying to mount a comeback.
With 1:41 left in the contest, he had an impressive steal on Jamal Murray, who was in a nice rhythm at that point. A little later, he intercepted a pass from Petr Cornelie intended for Murray.
View Both Steals
Of course, the speedy point guard also pushed the pace whenever the opportunity presented itself.
On one such instance with 7:14 left in the first quarter, Weber came up with the loose ball after Victor Rudd poked it away from Juancho Hernangomez. From there, Weber raced down court and finished the transition layup.
View the Play
Even when he wasn’t picking pockets, the VCU product wreaked havoc and covered a lot of ground defensively. Otherwise, Weber totaled seven assists and four points to go along with his six steals.
3. Lee Likes Threes
Early on, Damion Lee was aggressive and moved off the ball with purpose. As the game progressed, Lee started to reap the benefits of that work. In fact, the former Louisville Cardinal scored 11 points after halftime.
In all, Lee scored 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three-point land, grabbed three rebounds and tallied a team-high plus-21 rating.
Other Takeaways:
-As a team, Miami shot 17-of-33 from distance (51.5 percent).
-Stefan Jankovic showed a different facet of his game on Monday night. After shooting it from the perimeter for most of Summer League, the Serbian attacked the basket and attempted six free throws against Denver. Jankovic finished with eight points, three assists and two rebounds.
Notes:
-Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Juwan Howard Jr. sat out.
-The HEAT’s next game will be Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST against the Phoenix Suns. Coverage can be found on NBATV and ESPN3.
