Miami Heat: Max Strus Calls Game In Las Vegas Summer League Matchup

In their second Las Vegas Summer League game, the Miami Heat improved to 2-0 after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-94. This… after they were down as many as 20 in the second quarter.

To open the first half, the Miami Heat were off to an abysmal start shooting the ball, with Memphis simultaneously picking their defense apart with extra passes on the other end. Miami went just 5-17 from the field in the first quarter, but improved to 9-19 (47 percent) in the second to come within 11 points by halftime, 38-49.

Much of the Heat’s credit goes to their resilience, defensive attentiveness, and an ability to attack, for which they were able to slowly chip away at the lead. After he was the first to hit a three for Miami, Max Strus would erupt for 32 points.

Miami Heat guard Max Strus led the way with 32 points, and nailed the game-winning three-point shot to cap a 97-94 Summer League win over the Grizzlies.

This included seven three pointers. The biggest one of those… a game-winning three-pointer in the “Sudden Death” overtime period.

However, the Miami Heat once again received some solid contributions from their other starters. After missing Sunday’s matchup against Indiana, Omer Yursteven picked up right where he left off with another dominant Summer League performance.

Yurtseven finished with 23 points and slammed home an electrifying alley-oop from DeJon “Deeky” Jarreau to tie the game at 88-88. Yurtseven also had 11 boards to along with four of Miami’s seven blocks for the night.

Jarreau had a near triple-double with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Marcus Garrett added 13 points with 8 rebounds. Both of Miami’s top two-way candidates have verified as terrific finds from the organization and are, very likely, a lock to make the Heat’s final roster.

They’ve been pests on the defensive end and have shown they can accumulate big plays down the stretch. Although the Grizzlies outperformed Miami in overall shooting, they shot just 11-for-19 from the charity stripe and failed to win the rebounding or turnover battles.

Sean McDermott and the tenth overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Zaire Williams, each led the Grizzlies with 19 points, while Desmond Bane, Xavier Tillman, and John Konchar combined for 42.

The Heat will continue their Vegas journey on Friday afternoon, as they face the Utah Jazz at 5:00pm EST. If this last game is any indication of things to come though, it’ll be a barn burner!