Whiteside stands tall
Center finishes with season highs in points, blocks
MIAMI — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was succinct pregame about the challenge of Milwaukee Bucks forward Gianni Antetokounmpo, better known as the Greek Freak.
“Well, then you better have some freaks of nature behind your defense, as well, that can do some great things,” he said. “Hassan has that ability. Hassan is a freak of nature in his own way.”
As in Heat center Hassan Whiteside, as in the big man that set the tone for what turned into Wednesday night’s 106-101 victory over the Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
With Whiteside closing with a season-high 27 points, 13 rebounds and a season-high six blocks, the Heat passed both their spell check and this road test.
Antetokounmpo closed with 22 points for the Bucks.
With James Johnson and Justise Winslow contributing key late 3-pointers, the Heat were able to shake off Monday’s blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls at the start of this five-game trip and make it eight
wins in their last nine games.
Spoelstra had to go to his 14th starting lineup of the season, with Tyler Johnson out after severely spraining his left ankle in Monday’s loss in Chicago, with Achilles complications, as well.
That had Spoelstra turning back to Derrick Jones Jr., who started victories over the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers last week when Johnson was dealing with neck and shoulder issues.
Jones is in the midst of a two-way contract, with 13 days of NBA service left on his dual developmentalleague deal. The Heat also recalled Derrick Walton Jr., the Heat’s other player on a two-way contract, from the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce. Walton is down to 11 remaining days of NBA service, from the initial allotment of 45 days for twoway contracts.
The Heat starting lineup was rounded out by Whiteside, James Johnson, Josh Richardson and Goran Dragic.
A 3-pointer by James Johnson gave the Heat a 93-90 lead midway through the fourth quarter, only to see it matched by an Antetokounmpo 3-pointer.
A Whiteside alley-oop conversion off a Winslow feed then put the Heat up 95-93.
A Whiteside blocked shot followed, as did a Winslow 3-pointer, for a 98-93 Heat edge, leading to a Bucks timeout.
After Khris Middleton was off on a 3-pointer, James Johnson was fouled with 2:34 to play, his free throws putting the Heat up 100-93.
A pair of free throws by Eric Bledsoe drew the Bucks within 100-95.
After a pair of rimmedout Bucks 3-point attempts, Dragic scored inside for a 102-95 Heat lead.
That’s when Middleton converted a 3-pointer to draw Milwaukee within 102-98.
Eventually, the teams were left with a jump ball with that score with 16.1 seconds left.
Later, a Middleton 3-pointer drew the Bucks within 104-101, before Heat guard Wayne Ellington converted a pair of free throws to seal it.
It was the second game of the three-game season series and the Heat’s lone visit of 2017-18 to Milwaukee.
The Heat won the first meeting 97-79 Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena, behind 25 points from Dragic, limiting the Bucks to season-low .316 shooting.
The Heat entered having won three in a row from the Bucks and four of the previous five meetings, winning at least once in Milwaukee in each of the previous two seasons.
The game was the second on a five-game trip for the Heat, who were coming off Monday’s 119-111 loss in Chicago, when they fell behind by 19 in the second half and saw the Bulls convert 16 3-pointers to snap the Heat’s seven-game winning streak.
The Bucks, who entered 3-3 in their previous six home games, were coming off Monday’s 104-95 victory in Washington.