Jacari McRae | December 11th, 2019
For the second straight game, the Miami Heat found themselves in a close one at home. Just like they did against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, the Heat found a way to beat the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat overcame a 117-111 deficit with less than a minute left in regulation to force overtime, where the team went on a 16-0 run to close the game. The win improves the Heat’s home record to 11-0 for the season.
Here are my takeaways from the Heat’s 135-121 victory over the Hawks.
Nunn leads Heat
Last game, it was Tyler Herro who led the Heat in scoring with 27 points. On Tuesday, it was Kendrick Nunn. Nunn scored a career-high 36 points on 14-of-26 shooting against the Hawks. His previous career-high was 28 points, which also came against the Hawks.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A3E33GiIVU&w=560&h=315]
It was an encouraging sight for Nunn, who has been inconsistent at times. Hopefully, his performance can carry over to the Heat’s next couple of games. He may not get 30 points a night, but the Heat are going to need his scoring if Goran Dragic continues to be sidelined.
Not one…..but Two Triple Doubles
For the first time in Heat history, two teammates recorded a triple-double in the same game. Bam Adebayo scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.Jimmy Butler dropped 20 points, recorded a career-high 18 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists.
What a night for @Bam1of1 as he notched his first career triple-double! pic.twitter.com/Lj57xwBXjK
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 11, 2019
Both players have played a huge role in the Heat’s hot start this season. And, if Adebayo continues to play at a high level, the Heat could have two All-stars representing them in February.
Heat’s defense on Trae Young
Trae Young entered Tuesday’s game averaging 28.8 points per game. The Heat defensive plan was to make Young work for every basket. Although the guard had a decent overall game, the Heat trapped Young with double teams and kept him out of the game in the second half.
One move that was huge was the Heat switching Derrick Jones Jr on Young in the second half. With Jones Jr being the primary defender, Young only scored 2 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined. Jones’ length and quickness bothered Young.
Next up: The Los Angeles Lakers. The game tips off at 7pm ET on ESPN.
Questions and comments?
thescorecrowsports@gmail.com
Follow Us on Twitter @thescorecrow
Follow Us on Reddit at u/TheScorecrow
Follow Us on Facebook at The Scorecrow
Follow Us on Instagram at The Scorecrow
Facebook Group where you can read and post articles at The Scorecrow
Reddit Group where everyone can post without fear of being banned at The Scorecrow
Follow Jacari McRae on Twitter @JMcRae23
Main Image Credit:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fhow-kendrick-nunn-became-heat-nba-star-undrafted-g-league-2019-11&psig=AOvVaw2eQHd2FRxHFY7xhpk7ip9P&ust=1576173540690000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAMQjB1qFwoTCLjA7qOWruYCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
