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The dominant Hassan Whiteside showed up against the 76ers

By Frank Urbina

Jan 23, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; dMiami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) laughs after Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (not pictured) made the game winning three basket over Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (not pictured) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; dMiami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) laughs after Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (not pictured) made the game winning three basket over Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (not pictured) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside put up a monster stat line in the team’s 10th win a row.

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.

It had been a while since we had seen one of those night’s from Hassan Whiteside. Amid battling a bum ankle and inconsistent play, Whiteside came into tonight’s game averaging 12.4 points over his last eight. That changed in a big way against the Philadelphia 76ers. Whiteside scored 30 points on 14-for-17 shooting, to go with 20 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was the driving force behind the Miami Heat’s 125-102 win.

Just how dominant was Miami’s center? For starters, he had a double-double after 10 minutes of action. His 17-point, 11-rebound first quarter gave the Heat an early 15-point lead that they never looked back from.

Read More: Heat Backcourt Finally Getting Healthy

Whiteside was simply too much for any of the Sixers big men to handle. They were without Joel Embiid as well as fellow center Jahlil Okafor, who are both nursing knee injuries. That left them with only Nerlens Noel and Richaun Holmes to play the bulk of their minutes at the 5. And neither of those guys could do much to bother Whiteside.

Furthermore, what was most impressive about the performance was the fact that he did all of his damage in 26 minutes. According to the Heat, that efficiency was historic.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/828100702048247808

Over the last ten games, it’s been mostly the guards doing the bulk of the work. Both Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic have been spectacular. But now, if Whiteside can get things going down low as well? This season could legitimately get interesting.

Miami (21-30) must now travel to Minnesota to face the explosive Timberwolves. The game tips at 8 PM on Monday.

Next: The Heat aren't tanking, so now what?

Notes

  • Dragic and Waiters performed very well yet again. Waiters had 21 points on just 10 shot attempts (seriously, who is this guy?) and Dragic finished with 16 and 8 assists.
  • This was the Heat’s tenth win a row. The victory puts them just 2.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets, who are currently the 8th-seed in the East. However, they only lead the 14th-seed — the Sixers — by 3.5 games. This season could still go either way, and it’ll be intriguing to see which approach Pat Riley takes at the trade deadline.
  • Philadelphia power forward Ersan Ilyasova is one player who could pique Miami’s interests at the aforementioned deadline. He’s on the last year of his contract and not projected to be a part of the 76ers future. Tonight, he scored 21 points, with 3 three-pointers, and 5 rebounds. Ilyasova is the type of stretch-4 who would slot in perfectly next to Whiteside. Maybe Riley attempts to make a move for him six months early.
  • Tonight very well could have been the final Heat game for one of two guys: Derrick Williams or Okaro White. White’s second 10-day contract expires tomorrow, and the team will have to decide whether to keep him for the rest of the season, or cut him and hope they can re-sign him to their D-League team. If they do decide to keep him, that could be it for Williams and Miami; he played tonight for the first time in weeks. Williams had 2 points in 7 minutes, while White had 5 in 24.
  • James Johnson left tonight’s game with what Eric Reid reported as a hurt forearm(?). He went to the locker room for examination. We’ll keep an eye on that situation for you.
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