Postgame grades: Miami Heat get by Kings in OT to end two-game skid
By Cory Sanning
It took overtime, but the Miami Heat stepped up late to get the win against the Sacramento Kings.
110. Final. 96. 84. 108
On the comeback trail with just minutes remaining in the fourth, it seemed as if the Sacramento Kings were going to deal Miami the same sting it felt during Friday’s gut wrenching loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Falling behind twice in the final two minutes, the Heat managed to climb back and force OT behind a pair of clutch shots by Tyler Johnson and Dion Waiters. With a little help from the refs(and Hassan Whiteside, of course,) the Kings played virtually the entire overtime period without the best big man in basketball on the floor. In 35 minutes of play, DeMarcus Cousins had tallied 30 points and was doing a number on Whiteside, who struggled with foul trouble for most of the night.
He would foul out late in regulation, possibly the largest contributing factor to Miami outscoring the Kings 17-5 in overtime.
Goran Dragic scored 25 points and dished out eight assists, Dion Waiters dropped an impressive season-high 20 points on 50 percent shooting, and Whiteside recorded his fourth double-double to start the season as the Heat overcame both a blown double-digit lead and furious Sacramento rally to hold off the Kings, 108-96.
Rudy Gay scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Kings. Arron Afflalo added 18 points from the starting shooting guard spot.
A. Although a bit sloppy with the ball at times, Dragic quickly overcame 3 turnovers to drop a near triple-double on the Kings. Aggressive right from the tip, the Dragon dropped a cool 25 points and 8 rebounds to go along with 8 assists in an impressive effort. Finishing at 57 percent shooting, Dragic connected on an impressive 5 three pointers, sparking the Heat when it had fell into a slump from that distance.. PG. Miami Heat. GORAN DRAGIC
A-. The Waiters we’ve all come to love flashed his former self tonight, and this time, it played a key part in securing a victory at home. Scoring a season-high 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting. It was his jumper with under 40 seconds to go that tied the game, and eventually ended up sending it to OT. However, his long-range isolation play demonstrated why we all hold our breath. Overall, 4 rebounds and 4 assists to go with a twenty piece isn’t bad. Stellar defense isn’t either.. SG. Miami Heat. DION WAITERS
Although he recorded yet another double-double, tonight was not one of Whiteside’s finest evenings. While 14 points and 11 rebounds doesn’t sound bad, a seven-footer shooting 6-for-13 doesn’t. Neither does the fact that he turned the ball over 5 times, or committed 5 fouls. Had it not been for key plays late, Whiteside would’ve found himself with a grade his parents would whoop him for. For the effort, however, he gets a pass this time.. C. Miami Heat. HASSAN WHITESIDE. D
SF. Miami Heat. JUSTISE WINSLOW. D-. The kid I heralded as the next face of the Heat coming into this season just threw in a colossal stinker. Scoring a season-low 9 points, Winslow shot an abysmal 3-for-15 from the field. While knocking down a modest 2-for-5 from long distance, the former Blue Devil was a nonfactor for much of the night. While he did record 7 assists, much more will be needed from the youngster down the road, especially if Miami wants to compete for a playoff spot.
F. There isn’t much to be said here. Babbitt once again reminded the world of exactly what a one-dimensional player looks like. Although he recorded double-digit points with 10, it couldn’t have possibly come from lack of trying. Time after time the Sacramento defense left Babbitt free, and time after time he continued to be off the mark, finishing 3-for-9 from the floor. You guessed it, all of them were three pointers.. PF. Miami Heat. LUKE BABBITT
TYLER JOHNSON. A+. Attempting to prove he’s worth every penny of the $50 million Miami spent on him, Johnson’s impressive start to the season continued tonight as he hit 7 of his 11 shots for 22 points to go along with 4 rebounds. Miami’s main spark down the stretch, a large chunk of his points came in the extra session, even taking a traditional inadvertent elbow to the face in the process.. SG. Miami Heat
B. Making his official debut of the young season, the longtime Heat co-captain took no time to remind everybody why he’s still on an NBA roster. A 14 year veteran, Haslem didn’t score, only grabbed 3 rebounds and committed four fouls in just 15 minutes of action. However, at a time in which Whiteside was struggling and Cousins was rising, it was the strength and all-out hustle by Haslem that gave Miami its swagger back. Just for that, Mr. 305 makes the honor roll.. PF. Miami Heat. UDONIS HASLEM
The Heat will travel north for a showdown at the AirCanada Centre with the Raptors on Friday at 7:30 PM.