What a night for Hassan Whiteside as he finished the game 1 block shy of a triple double to beat the San Antonio Spurs, 95-88 on Wednesday night.
Defense was the key factor for Miami as Hassan Whiteside anchor’s their defense with his 9 blocked shots! He played outstanding basketball not only at the defensive end of the floor but also in offense as he finished the night with 29 points and 20 rebounds. I’m not a fan of Coach Spoelstra’s decision to limit Whiteside’s minutes on the floor because of the blossoming game of Bam Adebayo. Whiteside is a defensive player of the year caliber of player and the Heat should expose him on the court and use his skills to help them win. Whiteside has been expressing his disappointment with the team lately and that is not a good sign. The Heat are lucky that Whiteside still haven't requested a trade but he might do that soon if the Heat continues to lessen his minutes.
Game Recap
Miami started the game with great defense led by Whiteside. He aggressively challenges every shot the Spurs are taking. He also worked in the post and find open guys outside. The Heat find their groove early as they made some three-point baskets. Miami had an early double-digit lead in the game with the help of Wayne Ellington’s 3 triples.
Spurs find their rhythm in the second period with their nice ball movement and outside shooting. Aldridge struggled scoring because of Miami’s tough defense and Hassan Whiteside continues his defensive excellence in the second quarter swatting more shots. The Spurs still was able to cut the deficit and keep the game close in the first half.
In the second half, Miami’s pace was better as they keep pushing for the lead and maintained it the whole second half. They did a great job scoring consistently and at the same time, playing defense really well. Ellington’s hot shooting gave the Heat some momentum hitting 2 consecutive threes to open up the final quarter as Heat rallied a 10-2 run to start the fourth. The Spurs continues to struggle and the Miami Heat gets the win, 95-88.
Stats
Hassan Whiteside – 29 pts, 20 reb, 9 blk, 2 ast
Justice Winslow – 16 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast
Wayne Ellington – 20 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl
DeMar DeRozan – 18 pts, 14 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk
LaMarcus Aldridge – 6 pts, 16 reb, 2 blk
Patty Mills – 20 pts, 4 reb
Comments