Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
‘Old’ is solid gold
Wade’s late FTs boost shorthanded Heat over the Jazz
MIAMI — This time there was pushback, pushback by the Miami Heat from an early 19-point deficit, pushback from Hassan Whiteside after an uneven start of his own, pushback from the franchise icon who has a history of such moments.
So ultimately, as it has been for a decade and a half, there was Dwyane Wade when needed most, his two free throws with 3.2 seconds left Sunday lifting the Heat to a 102-100 victory Sunday over the Utah Jazz at AmericanAirlines.
“Is there anything more to say about that guy?” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who had more to say.
“It’s like putting on an old glove. We’ve been in that situation before, and it was very natural for him.”
Playing with a shorthanded roster, the Heat set up Wade for a late drive that drew the night’s most important whistle. The game then ended off a Jazz inbounds play with 3.2 seconds left, when guard Donovan Mitchell was off with a 3-point attempt.
“I was like, ‘OK, all the work you’ve put in before, let’s see it,” Wade said of his free throws that were true, on night he was 4 of 15 from the field and 2 of 6 on 3-pointers.
Whiteside closed with 23 points, 20 rebounds and three blocked shots, supported by 16 points apiece from Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk and 15 points and eight assists from Wade.
This, though, ultimately was about the 36-year-old who again made a Miami moment.
“D-Wade, I’ve been watching that since high school,” Whiteside said. “OK, maybe middle school. I don’t want to make DWade sound too old.”
With 42.1 seconds to play and the score still 100-100, the Heat called time, with 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock. The ball then went to Wade, who hit only the side of the rim on an open 3-point attempt, leading to a Jazz timeout with 32 seconds to play.
Mitchell then missed a driving layup with 20 seconds to play, with Wade fouled on his drive on the other end with 3.2 seconds to play.
At 3 of 3 from the line to that stage, Wade made both attempts for a 102-100 lead, leading to a Jazz timeout and closing out the scoring, with Mitchell off with his open 3-pointer attempt.
It ended with Wade and Mitchell exchanging jerseys.” That was a pretty special moment,” Mitchell said.
Five degrees of Heat from Sunday’s game:
It was not the steadiest of starts for Whiteside, including missing his first two free throws.
But it is what happened next, after he was yanked early along with four of the other starters, that mattered most.
He didn’t sulk. He punched back.
“Hassan was powerful,” Spoelstra said. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
By halftime, Whiteside already had a double-double and was the center who was imposing his will, not Utah’s Rudy Gobert.
Amid a recent funk, it was an encouraging sign.
It resulted in his first fourth-quarter action in five games.
“It feels great being out there and getting the win with the team,” he said.
When depth was abundant, little was made of the Heat opting to go with a 14-player roster rather than the 15-man NBA limit.
But now, not only did the Heat start Sunday without sidelined Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson, Derrick Jones Jr. and Dion Waiters, but Rodney McGruder was lost for the game in the first quarter with a sprained right ankle.
“From a standpoint of grit, of not making excuses,” Spoelstra said, “this was our signature win of the season.”
McGruder exited in a walking boot, with X-rays negative.
The Heat’s 20-0 surge bridging the first and second quarters was their longest unanswered run of the season, eclipsing a 17-0 blitz at the United Center against the Chicago Bulls.
The Jazz missed 15 consecutive shots as the Heat turned their 19-point deficit into a one-point lead.
Utah did not score their first points of the second period until 5:39 remained in the quarter, yet nonetheless were able to score 20 points over the 12 minutes.
Even with his shot off, Wade deftly orchestrated the offense with his playmaking, particularly when the Heat settled into Wade’s preferred halfcourt approach.
There were times when Wade tried to do too much with his newly favored 3-point stroke, but he was able to draw a three-shot foul with one attempt.
Included in Wade’s effort was a late dive into the stands chasing a loose ball. He landed several rows into the crowd.
“I got no brakes,” he said. “You can’t stop on a dime like you used to.”
Among the reasons the Heat were able to bounce back from their initial 19-point deficit was the defensive effort of Justise Winslow, who stepped up against Mitchell, who closed 8 of 24 from the field.
Because of McGruder injury, Winslow then started the second half. He closed with nine points and five rebounds.