March 5, 2018
Hassan Whiteside had a rocky 2017-18 run due to injury, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t still have glimpses of brilliance.
One of which came by way of his March 5, 2018 performance against the Phoenix Suns.
On the season, he averaged 14.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game in 25.3 minutes of play, numbers that by themselves may not seem too bad, but were a dip from his 2016-17 figures of 17.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per matchup.
On that Monday though, the old Whiteside returned.
While the big man only saw 25 minutes of playing time, he certainly made the most of them; he finished with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including going 4-for-5 from the charity stripe. He also totaled 14 rebounds and three blocks, transforming himself into a nightmare on both ends of the floor.
(And since he was donning the white, pink and blue Vice uniforms, you know he looked good doing it too.)
Of course, the center wasn’t the only one showing out on the court that day though.
Dragic went to town against his former team, recording 17 points in 23 minutes, and shooting 7-for-10 from the floor; he also dished five rebounds. As for Kelly Olynyk, he had 15 points in 20 minutes, on 5-for-7 shooting (including going 2-of-4 from 3).
The Heat won 125-103, despite Devin Booker going off for 31 points (in 33 minutes no less) on 12-for-22 shooting.
Miami was coming off an 105-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons, during which Whiteside had himself a solid defensive game, having grabbed 19 rebounds.