Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Winslow calls return point-ed
MIAMI — The reunification process apparently will be a gradual one for the Miami Heat, but Justise Winslow came away encouraged with his first steps back.
Having been sidelined since the preseason with hamstring soreness, Winslow said Saturday’s 19 minutes in the 120-111 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers left him encouraged.
“It felt pretty good,” he said, as the Heat turned their attention to Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings at AmericanAirlines Arena, the final game on this fourgame homestand that will be followed by a three-game trip. “I was able to get to some of the things I’m good at, attacking the basket, getting to the free-throw line. I got an open three early.
“But just to be out there, get back in rhythm and just be out there with the guys, that’s what the best part was, being on the bench and not being a spectator and getting in and contributing. I had a lot of fun in that.”
Winslow closed 3 of 8 from the field, 1 of 2 on 3-pointers, 3 of 5 from the line, with 10 points, five rebounds, three steals, a blocked shot and an assist.
Many of his minutes came at point guard, where he served as the primary backup to Goran Dragic.
“I know where all these guys like to get the ball and where they are at their best,” he said. “So when I’m out there, one, I’m still trying to be aggressive, but if I see somebody like KO [Kelly Olynyk] coming down the trail spot, I’ll try to give them the trail three.
“So just my IQ and knowing what my teammates like, I like being in the position to hit them in the right spots and facilitate.”
Like Winslow, guard Wayne Ellington was available for the first time this season, after being sidelined with ankle pain since training camp, but did not see action against Portland, nor did forward Derrick Jones Jr., who had started the first three games before being sidelined by a foot injury for Wednesday’s victory over the New York Knicks.
“Wayne’s been through this before,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Two years ago, he was out for a month or so and he fought his way back in.
“It’s still early on. I love the fact that he’s back in uniform. I know how much he’s been chomping at the bit to be available. That’s a great step. Same with D. Jones.”
With the return of health with the roster, the Heat on Sunday sent forward Duncan Robinson to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the G League as part of his twoway contract.
The Heat’s other twoway player, forward Yante Maten, already is with the Skyforce, who open their season Friday.
Milestone moment: A transition layup in Saturday’s second quarter gave Dragic his 10,000th career NBA point, making him the first Slovenian player to reach that total. He now has scored 4,324 points with the Heat, after scoring 4,753 with the Phoenix Suns and 945 with the Houston Rockets.
“It means a lot,” he said of getting to 10,000. “You work hard all your life. When I came to the league my goal was to find my place, and hopefully play three or five years in the NBA. Now it is year 11.”
Dragic said that he would enjoy being the highestscoring Slovenian as long as he can, joking that he knows Slovenian national teammate Luka Doncic is just getting started in the NBA as a rookie with the Dallas Mavericks.
Of note: Hassan Whiteside’s 73 rebounds are the most by a Heat player through the first five games of a season. It eclipsed the center’s previous record of 71 rebounds through the first five games in 2016 . . . The Heat prevented the Blazers from becoming the fourth NBA team to score at least 120 points in each of their first five games, previously done by the 1960 Philadelphia Warriors, 1962 San Francisco Warriors and 1983 Denver Nuggets.