The Miami HEAT defeated the Washington Wizards 89-88 Wednesday night at Cox
Pavilion in the Las Vegas Summer League. Justin Robinson led the way for the
HEAT with 19 points.
1. Robinson Shows No Fear in the Fourth
Crunch time tells a lot about a player and their mental fortitude. By the way
Robinson played down the stretch on Wednesday, you could tell that not much
fazes him. The 5-foot-8 guard simply put the team on his back in the fourth and
scored 13 points in the period. Time and time again, he got into the paint with
relative ease and finished plays like this one to put Miami up 89-88 with 11
seconds remaining.
Of course, he locked-in defensively on Marcus Keene too.
In addition to his game-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, Robinson also had
three assists, two boards and a steal.
2. Murray Mixes It Up
If there’s one thing we know for sure about Lamond Murray Jr., it’s that he can
flat out shoot the ball. That was on display early and often against Washington,
as the Pepperdine product moved well off the ball and made the defense pay from
the perimeter. He also did damage at the rim, including this dunk in
transition…
…and a few vital tip-ins later in the fourth quarter.
While all that was important, his rim protection along with Sebastian Saiz to
force a miss from Sheldon McClellan sealed the deal for the HEAT.
Murray Jr. finished with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting and five rebounds (three
offensive).
3. Red-Hot Start for Hammons
Impressive.
That’s really the best way to describe A.J. Hammons’ start to the contest on
Wednesday. Whether it was a put-back jam like this…
…or in-rhythm jumpers, Hammons showed his wide array of skills in the first
quarter. He also had two nice blocks in the period.
The 7-footer ended up with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and a
game-high three blocks.
4. Saiz Shows What He’s Got
After not playing as much the past few games, Sebastian Saiz made the most of
his opportunity against the Wizards. Throughout the contest, Saiz mixed things
up with nifty hook shots in the post and even a 3-pointer for good measure.
Later, the 22-year-old came up with a great hustle play in the fourth to save
the ball and initiate a fast-break opportunity for Miami.
You also can’t forget that aforementioned block on McClellan to close it out.
In all, Saiz tallied nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, seven boards and two
blocks.
Other Takeaways:
-Despite having a slow start, Zach Auguste got going in the third quarter with
some of his usual energy and effort plays, such as this offensive rebound and
jam.
Auguste grabbed a game-high nine rebounds (five offensive) to go along with 10
points, three assists and a plus-nine rating.
Game Note:
-Bam Adebayo, Okaro White and London Perrantes sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-Up next for the HEAT are the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 6:30PM ET.
Television coverage is on ESPN 2.
Player: AJ Hammons
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/heat/newsrecap/summer-league-wizards-88-heat-89-game-recap
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Miami Heat, AJ Hammons, Miami Heat
Media Thumbnail:
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Taxonomy: NBA Summer League, Summer League, Justin Robinson, Lamond Murray Jr.,
Sebastian Saiz, Zach Auguste
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/heat/newsrecap/summer-league-wizards-88-heat-89-game-recap
