Miami too hot for Mavericks
Wade entered the game with 7:45 left in the second quarter and Miami ahead 36-22.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2016-01-03 00:49 GMT
Miami: Hassan Whiteside tallied 25 points and 19 rebounds and the Miami Heat got the job done without Dwyane Wade in the starting lineup with a 106-82 win over Dallas on Friday. An ailing Wade came in off the bench for just the 10th time in his career after falling ill enough with the flu that he needed a pre-game IV.
Wade finished with 10 points and seven assists in 19 minutes of playing time in front of a crowd of 19,700 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Whiteside matched a career high in points and set a season high in rebounds for the Heat, who improved to 19-13 and snapped a two-game losing skid.
“That’s the type of identity we are trying to build,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “This offence is going to happen in layers. What we are trying to develop is a team that shares.” Spoelstra said Wade felt nauseous before the game, which is when he received the IV.
The last time Wade was used in reserve in an NBA game was January 2014 against the San Antonio Spurs. Guard Tyler Johnson replaced Wade as the starter. It was the first start of the season and just the third of Johnson’s career.
Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 11 points for the Mavericks, who never led and had their four-game winning streak halted. The German star shot just four-of-14 from the floor. The Mavericks failed to score a fast-break point and shot just 36 percent from the floor.
Mavericks point guard Jose Juan Barea, who averaged 22.3 points in his previous four games, finished with just six points in his return to his hometown. The Mavericks got off to a poor start, shooting 21.7 percent from the field in the first quarter and missing all seven three-point attempts. That allowed the Heat to compile a 22-10 lead at the end of the quarter.
Wade entered the game with 7:45 left in the second quarter and Miami ahead 36-22. Miami extended its lead to 58-45 at the half. Wade had five assists in eight minutes as the Heat shot 66.7 percent in the second quarter. Whiteside had 18 points and 13 rebounds at the half.
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