Young talent ignites the Miami Heat's offense, dominating the glass and fast breaks. A blowout win, but injury clouds loom over a star.
The Miami Heat closed a mini two-game road trip with a dominant 132-101 victory over the Washington Wizards. After a difficult 98-96 loss against the Boston Celtics on Friday, the team travels back to South Florida on a good note.
Key takeaways from the game:
Heat; Bounce-back bench production: Against the Celtics, the Heat finished with 17 bench points and Jaime Jaqeuz Jr. scored 11 of them. The reserves combined for 63 against the Wizards.
This time, it was rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis who led, finishing with a new career high in 22 points on 80 percent shooting, including six three-pointers made, three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block in 26 minutes. Kel'el Ware followed with a 19 points and 14 rebounds double-double, including an assist and a block in 30 minutes.
The Heat's young core continues to improve in the early stages of its development process.
Heat; Crashing the glass: The Heat dominated with 31 second-chance points off 21 offensive rebounds. Part of it was because coach Erik Spoelstra went with the double-big lineup of Ware and Bam Adebayo, which hadn't been seen in weeks. As a team whose roster doesn't have the personnel to produce consistent great defense, converting on extra possessions is crucial.
Heat; Points on turnovers and fast pace: The Heat are the fastest-paced team in the league, but there have been stretches when opponents have slowed them down. However, against a Wizards team who are among the worst defenses in the league, they were able to tap into their identity. The Heat had 26 fastbreak points, but part of that was converting on turnovers. As the Wizards committed 19, it resulted in 26 points given up.
Heat; Norman Powell injury concerns: Despite the victory resulting in a blowout, newly-named All-Star guard Norman Powell missed part of the third and the entire fourth quarter due to back spasms. It's been a lingering injury for the 32-year-old throughout the regular season. He finished with 21 points, including five three-pointers made, and a steal in 25 minutes.
Powell is the Heat's most consistent scorer, especially with Tyler Herro missing significant time due to injuries.
Also, the league announced that 11-year veteran will participate in the All-Star three-point shooting contest. That's an extra task on Powell's body.
The Heat improved their record to 28-26, eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. They will host the Utah Jazz on Monday night before another mini two-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans.
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