The Miami HEAT fell to the Detroit Pistons 71-58 Thursday night at Amway Center in the Orlando Pro Summer League. Rodney McGruder led the way for the HEAT with 14 points.
1. McGruder Finds the Range
McGruder had a quick start to the game, as he scored Miami’s first six points. During the fray, he mixed things up with two tough jumpers in addition to a finish in transition. While that was great, his most impressive sequence would come in the second half.
To start the play with 4:49 to go in the third quarter, Josh Richardson took his man off the dribble and drove inside. He then kicked it out to McGruder at the right corner, who elevated for the three, absorbed contact from Stanley Johnson and drained the shot.
View the Play
McGruder also competed well on the defensive end, guarding Johnson whenever Justise Winslow wasn’t on him.
In addition to his 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-4 from downtown, the 24-year-old also led the team with eight rebounds.
2. The Bigs Get Physical
The HEAT’s slew of bigs simply came to play on Thursday night. In particular, Shawn Jones, Michael Carrera and Kevin Tumba put in work.
Jones started to get going in the second half, where he swatted four shots. He also showed his offensive repertoire with a jumper and nifty hook-shot in the post. In all, Jones tallied seven points, three rebounds (two offensive) and a plus-eight rating to go along with his four blocks.
Carrera, meanwhile, continued his scrappy play from Tuesday afternoon. In the second quarter against the Pistons, he defended well inside and also drew a charge on Chavaughn Lewis. The forward finished with two points and three boards.
Lastly, Kevin Tumba fought hard for loose balls and did a solid job on the glass early on. Of his five rebounds on the night, three of those were on the offensive end.
3. Richardson Sticks With It
Even though Richardson wasn’t as sharp as he was in his last outing, he still created well for his teammates and knocked down some tough shots from the perimeter.
That’s not to say the guard didn’t take it to the rack. In fact, he had this strong and-one finish late in the fourth quarter.
In all, Richardson scored 11 points and dished out four assists.
Other Takeaways:
-Justise Winslow finished with 13 points and four rebounds against Detroit.
Notes:
-The HEAT’s final game of the event will be Friday at 10:00 AM against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
-All Orlando Pro Summer League games can be found on NBA TV and ESPN3
