The Miami Heat are in the middle of a West Coast road trip that could make or break their season. It didn’t start well as they were blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers on January 8. Today the team got back on the right track in a 104-90 matinee victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Here are some quick shots from the game:
The Good:
The biggest factor in Miami’s win was the play of Hassan Whiteside. The third-year player who had a career best 23 points and 16 rebounds immediately made an impact in the game with his size and limited Clippers center DeAndre Jordan to only four points and six rebounds, which is roughly half his season averages in both categories. The Heat won the overall rebounding battle over the Clippers 47 to 26.
Chris Bosh got into an offensive groove and finished the game with 34 points and seven rebounds. Bosh got most of his points from mid-range as he has it a point to not be over reliant in his three-point shooting.
The Heat were also able to avoid the terrible play in the third quarter, an issue that has plagued the team throughout the season.
The Bad:
Dwyane Wade finished the game with 17 points but did so on five for 15 shooting which included some point blank misses at the rim. The Heat can ill afford Wade to be that inconsistent. He did get his teammates involved with 10 assists.
Miami also continued to get inconsistent offense from their point guard duo of Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. Both men finished the game with a combined seven points and nine assists. The assist category has been a concern for Miami as it is last in the NBA in that category.
Highlight of The Game:
The day belonged to Whiteside who saved his best for after the final buzzer sounded. In a post-game interview with Sun Sports’s Jason Jackson Whiteside revealed that the game was more personal for him as he was denied an invite to Clippers training camp by head coach/president Doc Rivers despite others in the organization wanting to try him out.
It was an honest moment for a young man who has bounced around the world and the NBA D-League before the Heat signed him to a two-year contract.