National Basketball Association

Postgame grades: Miami Heat take down Brooklyn Nets

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Miami Heat got an easy win at home against a short-handed Brooklyn Nets team.

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The Miami Heat set the tone early, as Hassan Whiteside established his dominance around the rim and Goran Dragic attacked the crevices of an already-shaky Brooklyn Nets defense.

Miami got out to an early 11 point lead before the Nets went on a 10-0 run to end the second half and bring the score to within a point. However, the Heat dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 38-17 in the period.

While the final score hardly means much in the preseason (Miami is now 2-1) it was reassuring to see the team generate points from ball movement. 14 guys played, but almost all of the core group scored in double digits. The team made 12 of 31 three-pointers and 50 percent of their shots overall.

For the Nets, Jeremy Lin scored 16 points on five of eight shooting and five assists. Here is how Miami’s players graded out.

Goran Dragic

PG, Miami Heat

AGoran Dragic set the tone with his attacking and distributing, scoring 17 points to go along with 11 assists. He was aggressive in both getting his shots and bending the defense to help create space for teammates. Even though he isn’t lighting up the scoreboard, it’s exactly the sort of thing we are hoping for from him this season.

Wayne Ellington

SG, Miami Heat

B+Wayne Ellington got the start tonight in place of Tyler Johnson (who started the last two preseason games) and an injured Josh Richardson. He played well alongside Dragic, helping space the floor (4 of 8 from three-point range) on his way to scoring 14 points. On defense, he was aggressive closing out and, even though he had some lapses, was clearly putting forth the effort.

Justise Winslow

SF, Miami Heat

C-I wish I could give Justise Winslow a better grade than this, but he fouled out after 21 minutes of play and scored just 5 points on 2 of 6 shooting. However, he showed some things I really liked. He had a nice skip pass to Goran Dragic for a three-pointer that reminded me of LeBron James. Also in the first half, he showed off his quick first step in a high pick-and-roll with Hassan Whiteside that ended with him scoring at the rim.

Derrick Williams

PF, Miami Heat

B+Derrick Williams played well in his first start at power forward this preseason, scoring 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting (including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc) to go along with 6 rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes. He showed off his ball handling skills, helping to move the ball on offense, and made himself available in transition.

Hassan Whiteside

C, Miami Heat

Dion Waiters also finished with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting off the bench. He didn’t have an assist, though some teammates missed shots as he helped create some offense for others. Tyler Johnson, in his first time coming off the bench this preseason, finished with 14 points and three assists.

Next, the Miami Heat play the San Antonio Spurs this Friday, Oct. 14, at 8:30 PM ET.

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