Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Sluggish start, runaway finish
Whiteside, McGruder allow Heat to exhale in blowout
MIAMI — After three games decided by a total of five points, the Miami Heat were looking for a chance to exhale Wednesday night.
They found the right opponent.
With former Heat assistant coach David Fizdale arriving with a New York Knicks roster lacking sidelined Kristaps Porzingis but flush with opportunity to load up this season on lottery balls, the Heat finally played with breathing room in a 110-87 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Going in, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “Ideally, yeah, we’d love to have a 20-point win. We didn’t have many of those last year. So I don’t even know if we’re anticipating a bunch of those.”
After a rough start that included an early 11-point deficit, the Heat regained their stride in the second quarter to go up two at halftime and then were off to the races from there, outscoring the Knicks 45-20 in the third quarter.
Going with a big lineup at the outset — as much out of necessity as design — the Heat got 22 points and 14 rebounds from center Hassan Whiteside, who was given the fourth quarter off.
Forward Rodney McGruder, who continued his 2018-19 breakout, kept the Heat afloat early, closing with 19 points.
By the time it was over, even Josh Richardson was able to erase a regrettable start, when he had four turnovers in the
game’s first six minutes, finishing with 21 points.
Ultimately, it turned into a night of celebration for the Heat, a reunion game of sorts, with Fizdale back as coach of the Knicks and former Heat players Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway and Jason Williams watching in the stands.
Five degrees of Heat from Wednesday’s game:
1. The McGruder show:
Imagine if the Heat didn’t have McGruder? He basically was all the Heat had at the start against the Knicks, with 16 points at halftime on 5-for-5 shooting.
It no longer can — or perhaps even should — be assumed that Dion Waiters will return as the Heat’s starting shooting guard.
McGruder has been as good as any player on the roster since the preseason, also giving the Heat an option other than Goran Dragic at the outset to defend fleet opposing point guards.
In Spoelstra’s meritocracy it would be difficult to envision McGruder not starting if he continues to play at this level, a level that would move him at least into consideration for Most Improved Player.
2. Duncan Robins-can:
Duncan Robinson made his NBA debut when he checked in early in the second period and promptly converted a 3-pointer on his first NBA attempt.
Robinson was held out of the shootaround earlier in the day so as not to burn one of his 45 allowable NBA days on his two-way contract.
It turns out Robinson was needed for the depleted roster, with the Heat issuing a statement during that second quarter that said, “Justise Winslow experienced some tightness in his right hamstring prior to tonight’s game vs the Knicks and will not play.”
Winslow, who also missed the season’s first three games, went through the morning shootaround, with Spoelstra announcing 90 minutes before the game that Winslow would play.
The Heat remained without Waiters, James Johnson and Wayne Ellington, with Derrick Jones Jr. sidelined with a foot injury.
3. Way of Whiteside:
This is what you do against a team in today’s small-ball NBA that doesn’t play a true center — you punish them by playing through Whiteside.
The Heat finally got the hint against Enes Kanter, with Whiteside 4 of 4 in his 12-point third quarter.
The power play by Whiteside ended at 8 of 14 from the field and 6 of 10 from the foul line, with three blocked shots.
4. Tyler Johnson steps
up: A shaky preseason that was followed by an uneven first three games finally added up to something tangible for Tyler Johnson, who came through with eight firsthalf points in helping the Heat rally from that early 11-point deficit to a 47-45 halftime lead.
With Dwyane Wade scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting over the opening two periods, Johnson accounted for all but four of the Heat’s first-half bench points. Wade closed 3 of 10.
5. Richardson rebound?
In many ways this was a particularly meaningful moment for Richardson, who did not allow an uneven start to keep him down.
By the time it was over, Richardson was 5 of 6 on 3-pointers, asserting himself to keep the game safely out of reach, adding eight rebounds, again showing signs of playing as a leading man.