Goran Dragic remains hot despite the Miami Heat falling to the Pelicans

Welcome to the Hot Hand, where after every Miami Heat win or loss we recognize the player who best put his stamp on the game.

Playing in his 600th career game, Goran Dragic got the Miami Heat off to a hot start in their eventual loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Dragic posted 13 of his team high 23 points in the first quarter, and remained aggressive right throughout the contest. A road game on the second night of a back to back, it was important for Miami’s floor general to hit the ground running.

Despite the disappointing loss, Dragic’s impressive recent form continued in his battle with rival point guard Jrue Holiday. For the night, Dragic finished with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Over his last 15 games, Dragic has posted 22.3 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from behind three. This stretch is a throwback to the form Dragic demonstrated while playing with the Phoenix Suns. It was there where he was named to the all-NBA third team and won the leagues most improved player award.

Furthermore, it’s no coincidence that Dragic’s level of play has risen since the injury and subsequent absence of highly ball-dominant guard Dion Waiters. Although Waiters impressed at times this season, Dragic has used this time to fulfil the potential the Heat sought when they acquired him via trade.

Unfortunately in this game for Dragic and the Heat, the team was inconsistent in their execution after the promising first quarter. The team led 47-37 with just under three minutes remaining in the second term, but led by just five points at the main break. The Heat’s largest lead was 68-54 with just over three minutes left in the third term. However, this margin was quickly reduced to just four points to commence the fourth quarter.

Dragic expressed his frustration after the game following yet another tight loss:

"“We need to be more mature. When the game is on the line, we cannot play soft or not execute.”"

Considering how hot Dragic has been of late, it’s unfortunate that he didn’t shoot more in this game. He converted at 59 percent from the field, with the rest of the team shooting just 37 percent. Dragic demonstrated again in this game his ability to score in a variety of ways. Five of his 10 made field goals were within the restricted area, three were in the midrange and two were from behind three (see below).

With the Heat lacking a natural backup point guard, Dragic’s time off the floor in this game was again noticeable. The Heat had an offensive rating of 92.9 points per 100 possessions when Dragic was on the floor, but this plummeted to 78.8 when he was resting. This has been a recurring theme for the season, most noticeably during this Dragic hot streak. The Heat have had an offensive rating of 105.9 over the past 15 games with Dragic. However, it was just 96.6 when he is having a break.

Moving forward, the Heat are going to have to find more inventive ways to boost the offence when Dragic is off the floor. Now at 10-21 and in 13th place in the eastern conference standings, their season is quickly slipping away.

Despite the disappointing nature of Miami’s season, Dragic has been a shining light despite constant trade rumours which he dismissed prior to the game. And for not the last time, Dragic was this game’s Hot Hand.