National Basketball Association
Miami 95, Indiana 89
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Officials:
#43 Dan Crawford, #45 Brian Forte, #32 Marat Kogut
Attendance:
19600
By The Sports Xchange
MIAMI -- Johnson & Johnson is no longer just the company that makes Band-Aids and Tylenol.
It's also the 1-2 Miami Heat bench duo that is giving opponents headaches.
Heat center Hassan Whiteside was the star on Wednesday night, scoring 26 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in a 95-89 victory over the Indiana Pacers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
It was the fourth 20-20 game in Whiteside's career and second this season. He helped the Heat accumulate a 58-38 rebounding edge on the Pacers.
"When he goes, we go," Heat forward Justise Winslow said of Whiteside. "He's learning the responsibility of being a franchise guy."
But every "franchise guy" needs a supporting cast. On Wednesday, the leaders of that cast were reserve guard Tyler Johnson and backup forward James Johnson.
They are not related, but they are connected. They bring energy off the bench. Tyler had 15 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three assists. James had 14 points and six assists.
Of the two, Tyler is probably the least surprising. He was with the team last season and earned a four-year, $50 million contract extension in the offseason.
James Johnson, however, is a bit of a stunner. The 6-9 former Wake Forest star is on his eighth team in eight years, including two in the NBA Development League. He lost 25 pounds in the offseason (down to 238), and his conditioning is allowing him to excel.
"He's in the weight room right now," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game of the player Miami signed to a one-year, $4 million contract in July. "He has embraced that commitment of being the best player he can be, and there's still another level to where he can go with his body."
Other than Whiteside, Johnson and Johnson were the Heat's top scorers on the night, although Winslow gave the team great news with his comeback.
Winslow, who returned after missing 16 games because of a sprained left wrist, entered with 48 seconds left in the first quarter.
With 7:22 left in the second quarter, he hit a left-elbow jumper for his first basket since Nov. 14. He also had an impressive steal and assist in one acrobatic second-half play.
"I'm not too happy with my performance," said Winslow, who finished with two points in 21 minutes. "But it was good to be out there. Missing all that time was horrible."
Point guard Goran Dragic, coming off a 34-point game that was his best scoring performance in a Heat uniform, missed all seven of his first-half shots. He finished with 11 points and six assists.
Dragic made 4-of-15 shots in a disappointing performance that was made palatable by the contributions of Johnson & Johnson.
The Heat, which has a modest two-game win streak and a 9-17 record, improved to 4-8 at home. This is the Heat's first two-game home win streak of the season.
Indiana (13-13) had its two-game win streak snapped. The Pacers are 1-10 in their past 11 games in Miami.
Paul George led Indiana with 22 points, but was 8 for 22 from the floor.
"This is a game we should have won," George said after his team shot 37.1 percent from the floor. "It's frustrating. I think (Miami's) small lineup messed us up."
Pacers reserve shooting guard Rodney Stuckey came back after missing part of Indiana's previous game due to a sprained knee. Stuckey scored 10 points against Miami on 3-of-12 shooting but injured his groin in the third quarter and did not return.
Miami made buzzer-beating shots at the end of the first two quarters -- first by James Johnson and then by Tyler Johnson.
But the Heat couldn't shake the Pacers -- at least not for the first three quarters. Indian led 21-20 after one quarter, Miami grabbed a 53-52 advantage at the half and the Pacers rotated back on top 79-78 after three periods.
Miami's defense, though, made the difference in the fourth quarter, holding Indiana to 10 points and 27.8-percent shooting.
Indiana missed three 3-pointers in the final two minutes that would have tied the score. Myles Turner missed two of those shots, and George missed one.
"They basically muscled us and broke our offensive execution," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "(The Heat) continued with their pressure, and we struggled to knock down shots."
NOTES: Heat SG Dion Waiters (groin) missed his 10th straight game and was only able to perform some shooting drills at practice. ... Indiana was without starting SG Monta Ellis (groin). ... Heat F Udonis Haslem brought his entire team -- other than Waiters, who had previous plans celebrating his 25th birthday -- to the Miami Dolphins vs. Arizona Cardinals football game on Sunday. The players sat in a Dolphins luxury suite rented by Haslem. ... Miami continues its six-game homestand on Friday, getting a visit from the Los Angeles Clippers. ... The Pacers are at the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.
Top Game Performances
Indiana |
|
Miami |
Paul George 22 |
Scoring |
Hassan Whiteside 26 |
Jeff Teague 5 |
Assists |
Goran Dragic 6 |
Paul George 7 |
Rebounds |
Hassan Whiteside 22 |
Rodney Stuckey 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Hassan Whiteside 6 |
Thaddeus Young 3 |
Steals |
Goran Dragic 2 |
Myles Turner 5 |
Blocks |
Tyler Johnson 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Indiana
|
89 |
37.1 |
9-27 |
14-17 |
14 |
38 |
5 |
8 |
9 |
Miami
|
95 |
45.1 |
7-25 |
14-25 |
23 |
58 |
6 |
4 |
15 |
Upcoming Games
-
Miami will play their next game at home against LA Clippers. The Heat have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Indiana will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Pacers have a W/L % of .231 after a win and .769 after a loss.