There were questions about whether the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic would play on Friday. The Magic were missing nine players, with the majority out due to Covid-19 protocols. Still, the game went on. The Magic went on a few runs in the game to make it interesting. Miami responded to each run and closed it out in the end. The Heat were led by two undrafted players in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent. With the win, Miami moves to 18-12 for the season. Here are four takeaways from Friday’s win in Orlando.
Lowry the Facilitator
Kyle Lowry had another double-double on Friday. He set the tone offensively from the start with his playmaking. Lowry was pitching the ball ahead, running the pick-and-roll, and finding open teammates off his drives. He did a great job of getting the guys involved and engaged. Of course, he was a little sloppy with the ball, but that happens. Lowry is starting to look better and better each night. Without Miami’s best players, he’s really been making a huge impact on the team’s recent success. Lowry ended the night with 11 points and 15 assists.
Strus’ Night
When it comes to player development, Miami is one of the best at it. They do a great job of finding overlooked players and turning them into key rotation players. Strus proved that on Friday night. In the second quarter, he scored 20 points off the bench. It wasn’t off of any special moves or anything. He was just doing what he normally does. Anytime Strus gets the ball he’s shooting it. No matter if it’s a defender in front of him or off a pump fake. Strus was on fire on Friday. Although he played great, he’s going to force Erik Spoelstra into tough decisions once the team gets healthy. And that’s a good problem to have. Strus finished with a career-high 32 points and seven rebounds.
Max was lights out in Orlando.
🔥 32 points (career-high)
🔥 8/11 on 3-pointers (career-high)
🔥 11/15 on FGs (career-high) pic.twitter.com/yhcVVRX3d7— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 18, 2021
Vincent with Another Career-Night
Like Strus, Vincent is another example of Miami’s great player development. Coming off a career night in Philadelphia, Vincent played well again on Friday. After Strus’ 20-point second quarter, Vincent had a huge third quarter with 18 points in the period. He was scoring off of pull-up three-pointers, drives, and mid-range jumpers. He’s really taken advantage of his increased role by taking his game to another level. Labeled as a defensive-first guard, Vincent has become more reliable on and off the ball. Most importantly, the confidence in his shot is there. Vincent finished the night with a new career-high 27 points.
Back-to-back career-highs for Nnamdi 😤
26 points on Wednesday, 27 tonight. pic.twitter.com/rJLZxU7mqy— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 18, 2021
Dedmon’s Great Production
Dewayne Dedmon has been great in his role as a spot starter. He’s been one of Miami’s most reliable players during the latest stretch. At the break, he had 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Offensively, he finishes well around the paint. He’s also brought back the three-point shooting he had back in his Atlanta Hawks days. He shoots them better at the top of the key or on both wings. Dedmon does a great job of taking what the defense gives him. Defensively, he continues to excel in Miami’s new drop coverage. It’s still crazy that this man only played a few regular-season games last year and is now making a huge impact a year later. Dedmon ended the night with 13 points and six rebounds.
Next up: The Detroit Pistons. The game tips off at 6 pm eastern time.
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