The Phoenix Suns (31-29) came into Miami on Monday night, looking to make up ground in the Western Conference playoff race. The Heat (25-33) needed a win to maintain their half-game lead over the Pacers, Nets, and Hornets in the Eastern conference race. It was the first matchup between these teams since the Suns traded Goran and Zoran Dragic to the Heat. The Suns are known for their high-scoring offense that ranks third amongst the entire NBA, while the Heat are known for their relentless defense, which also ranks third in the NBA.
The first quarter was closely contended, as the Suns ended the quarter with a 24-23 lead. Markieff Morris, who scored eight points and grabbed two boards during the quarter, led the Suns at the beginning. They also received six points and five rebounds from Alex Len. The Heat got a good first quarter from Hassan Whiteside, who gave them seven points, three boards, and a block.
The game began to shift in the second quarter, as the Heat outscored the Suns, 39-24. It was the Heat’s highest scoring quarter of the season. Goran Dragic got things started for the Heat, as he scored eight points in the first three minutes of the quarter, before having to sit out the rest of the quarter after receiving his third foul. Dwyane Wade had 11 points, five assists, and four steals by halftime. Tyler Johnson capitalized on his opportunity for extended minutes by scoring nine points before the game reached halftime.
Things got chippy in a third quarter that included three ejections and a couple of flagrant fouls. It started on a Goran Dragic fast break that ended with Markieff Morris hitting his former teammate on the head as Dragic went up for a layup. The blow to the head did not appear intentional, but Morris still received a flagrant-two foul, which results in an automatic ejection. Morris headed to the showers early after scoring 13 points.
Quickly after the flagrant-two foul, Gerald Green received a technical foul for arguing a foul call. About four minutes after that, Hassan Whiteside threw down a big dunk over Alex Len. After Whiteside landed, he and Len were tangled. Len then threw Whiteside to the ground, to which Whiteside responded by making an NFL-worthy tackle, to take the seven-foot Len to the ground. Both players were ejected after the altercation. Whiteside’s night ended with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. Len finished with 10 points and 11 boards. Less than a minute after that incident, Marcus Morris and Henry Walker each received a technical after Walker received a flagrant-one foul. Miami ended the quarter with an 85-74 lead.
With the ejections to key players, both teams knew they would need some players to step up in the fourth quarter and that is exactly what the Heat got from guards Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson. Dragic scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter (all while having five fouls), while Johnson, who spent most of the season playing in the D-League, scored 11 points in the final quarter, finishing the game with a career-high 26 points. Dwyane Wade fell just shy of a double-double, as he scored 16 points and dished out nine assists.
For the Suns, P.J. Tucker finished off with 20 points and 14 assists. Eric Bledsoe added 20 points for the Suns as well. The Heat won the game, 115-98. The win brings the Heat to 26-33 as the Suns fall to 31-30.