Whiteside powers Heat past Timberwolves
Miami continue their stunning turnaround in the season winning 23 of their last 28 games
Hassan Whiteside delivered his 11th straight double-double as the Miami Heat continued their hot streak with a wire-to-wire 123105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Miami has made a stunning turnaround from the team that struggled to an 11-30 to start the season as they have won 23 of their last 28 games for the best record in the NBA over that stretch.
The Heat like Whiteside’s offence but coach Erik Spoelstra said he was also a force on defence. “It felt like (Whiteside) had seven or eight blocks,” Spoelstra said. “And that’s the most important thing — that they feel his size, that they feel his presence, that they feel his impact at the rim and in the paint.”
Whiteside finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds as his 11th consecutive double-double tied a Heat franchise record, set by Rony Seikaly in 1991-92.
Tyler Johnson scored 23 off the bench for Miami who are also 15-1 in their last 16 games at home.
But the win could prove to be costly as Miami lost starting shooting guard and third leading scorer Dion Waiters to an ankle injury. He left the game with 3:24 left in the second quarter and did not return. The good news is that X-rays showed he did not suffer a fracture.
“It’s unfortunate,” Spoelstra said. “You feel the crowd (react to Waiters’ going down), and that’s how we felt, too.”
Waiters got hurt while driving to the rim and landing on the foot of a Minnesota defender. Waiters had six points when he left the game.