Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
After wins, road trip feels like a turnaround
Three-out-of-four elevates team to a .500 record
They exited into the Denver night more than a week ago after committing a three-shot foul and then seeing a potential gamewinning dagger miss its mark.
They escaped in Los Angeles last Sunday despite blowing a 25-point lead.
They benched their franchise center in the second half in a humbling Monday loss to Golden State.
They found resurrection Wednesday in Phoenix.
And in the latest twist of this six-game odyssey that still has one more chapter to be written, the Miami Heat exulted into the Salt Lake City thin air Friday night after Dion Waiters decided that 7 of 20 would look far better next to his name in the box score than 4 of 17.
Through five games and 10 days of this trip that wraps up today against the Detroit Pistons, the Heat have just about witnessed it all in pushing back to .500 after victories in three of their past four games.
“Well,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, “we talked about this road trip, like all other long ones, is an opportunity for you to develop your competitive character. And we got knocked in the jaw that first night in Denver, but we continued to plug away, stay connected.
“You can turn those painful times into something you can grow from. But the road trip’s not over. We can enjoy this one for a day ... and get ready for a big game on Sunday and try to close it out.”
Already it has been a bounce-back trip.
The Heat lost the first game of the trip when Waiters fumbled the ball on the game’s final sequence, his potential winning shot rimming out just before the buzzer in the loss to the Denver Nuggets. That play came after forward James Johnson committed a three-shot foul on Nuggets forward Paul Millsap, who closed out the scoring in the one-point game with his three free throws.
By contrast, one week after that loss in Denver, Waiters accounted for the Heat’s final 13 points as the Heat broke a late tie in a slugfest victory over the Utah Jazz.
Despite scoring 10 points and assisting on Josh Richardson’s 3-pointer to close the victory, Waiters pointed to the team’s defensive growth on the trip.
“We’re trending in the right direction defensively,” he said. “We preach defense first. We’ve got a lot of guys in here that can do a lot of things offensively. So any time you give yourself a chance defensively, you have a chance to win the game.”
Then there is Whiteside, benched 73 seconds into the second half of the loss to the Golden State Warriors, only to respond with 23 points and 10 rebounds the following game against the Phoenix Suns and then eight points and 20 rebounds Friday against the Jazz.
“I would say Hassan’s eight-point game is one of the most inspiring games he’s had in a Miami Heat uniform, really anchored our defense,” Spoelstra said. “Guys were making inspiring plays because of what they saw him doing. It was great to see. It’s not one of those box scores from a points standpoint that will jump off the page, but his impact was incredible.”
And just as the Heat showed the resolve needed to close out the victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center, there was the same closing poise against the Jazz, to make it 3-2 so far on this journey.
“Even when we don’t have a good shooting night we still can grind those games with our defense,” guard Goran Dragic said. “It was an ugly game. It was a really ugly game. But in the end we’re happy with this win. It means a lot.”
Worth noting
The four field goals recorded by the Jazz in Friday’s second half is the fewest in a half by an opponent over the Heat’s 30 seasons. The previous low was six on two occasions (in the second half of games on March 20, 2010, against Charlotte and March 12, 2005, against New Jersey). ...
The Heat held Utah to .121 (4-of-33) shooting in the second half, the percentage by an opponent. The previous low was .167 (6 of 36) in the second half of that March 20, 2010, game against Charlotte . ...
The one assist recorded in the second half by the Jazz tied the all-time low by an opponent in a half. The only other occasion a Heat opponent recorded
Heat at Pistons
When/Where: 4 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
TV: Fox Sports Sun Radio: 790-AM, 106.3-FM, 710-AM (Spanish) Scouting report: This is the first game of the four-game season series. … The teams split last season’s four games, each winning once on the opposition’s home court. … This will be the Heat’s first game at Little Caesars Arena, with the Pistons moving in the offseason from their long-time home of The Palace of Auburn Hills. … The Heat have not swept a season series from the Pistons since going 3-0 in 2011-12. … The game concludes a season-longest six-game trip for the Heat. … The Heat have won three of their past four games, coming off Friday night’s 84-74 victory in Utah. … It is the final game of a five-game homestand for the Pistons, who are on a four-game winning streak, with victories in seven of their past eight. … Detroit is coming off Friday’s 111-104 victory over the Hawks, when center Andre Drummond closed with 16 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists. … The Pistons, who are coached by former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, in the offseason added Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway and Boban Marjanovic, as well as first-round pick Luke Kennard. … Rodney McGruder (leg) is out for the Heat, with A.J. Hammons and Matt Williams Jr. on G League assignment. … For the Pistons, Stanley Johnson (hip) and Jon Leuer (ankle) are questionable, with Dwight Buycks on G League assignment. just one assist in any half was the second half against Atlanta on May 4, 1999.