James Johnson was the Miami Heat’s point guard for a night… sort of

Miami Heat forward James Johnson continued his stellar play on Friday night, but it wasn’t enough to beat the surging Milwaukee Bucks.

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

The Miami Heat finally finished their six-game road trip on Friday night. The last stop of their voyage saw them travel to Milwaukee, to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks. And, as has become a theme this year, the Heat lost. Handily. The final score was 116-108; it never felt that close either.

However, despite the big loss, there was one ray of sunshine in this otherwise dreary outing. It involved James Johnson, who, as you all know, has had something of a resurgence this season.

Johnson had yet another milestone against the Bucks, setting a career-high in assists. He had 12. Yes, you read that right. James Johnson dished out 12 freaking assists. Oh, and the guy had just one turnover, too. For comparison’s sake, Goran Dragic has only had a stat line like that once this season. And he’s a borderline-elite point guard. So yeah, for Johnson to do that was pretty amazing.

He also had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, one three-pointer, and two blocks. Johnson has become Miami’s Swiss Army knife, who is versatile enough to do a bit of everything. The fact that his three-point shooting has improved to 38 percent has opened so much more of his game. Opponents have to respect his shot now, which gives Johnson space to blow by defenders and set up his teammates, or finish around the basket. And if you hadn’t heard, he’s a pretty good finisher when awarded the chance.

I know, that happened against the Warriors, and not the Bucks. But times are tough for Heat Nation, so I’ve decided to do my part and uplift spirits after another demoralizing (and lopsided) loss.

At least the road trip is mercifully over, and the Heat can return home to Miami. What’s waiting for them though is the MVP front-runner James Harden and his Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. Maybe Johnson can do his part again and dunk on another (potential) MVP? I have to say, I wouldn’t mind that one bit.