Hassan Whiteside’s record-setting night propels Miami Heat past San Antonio Spurs
Hassan Whiteside followed Jakob Poeltl down the base line toward the right corner and mirrored his every move as the Poeltl twirled toward the end line and tried to toss up a short jumper.
The San Antonio Spurs center’s latest effort to score on Whiteside was just as futile as most of his attempts in the first half and the Miami Heat center rocked a blocked shot a few rows deep into the courtside seats.
Whiteside gestured to AmericanAirlines Arena’s in-house DJ, requesting the perfect sound bite for his first half. “Another one,” DJ Khaled boomed over the sound system, sending the 19,600 in attendance into a frenzy to celebrate a record-tying seventh first-half block for Whiteside.
Two and a half minutes later, Whiteside swatted away a driving layup from point guard Patty Mills to set a new Miami Heat record with eight blocks in the first half.
It set the tone for an eventual 95-88 win against the Spurs on Wednesday in Miami, snapping an 11-game losing streak at the hands of San Antonio dating back to the 2014 NBA Finals.
Whiteside ultimately finished one block short of his fifth career triple-double. More than two years since his last triple-double, Whiteside finished with 29 points, 20 rebounds, nine blocks and two assists, while shooting 10 of 18 from the floor and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line.
The Heat (5-5) needed a game like this from Whiteside. Guards Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade, two of Miami’s top six rotation players, both sat out.
Small forward Derrick Jones Jr. went down with a bruised right knee in the first half.
Wing guard Josh Richardson, perhaps the Heat’s most valuable player to this point, started 0 for 7 from the field and finished with 14 points on 6-of-22 shooting.
Whiteside was one of only two players to score in double figures in the first half, entering the break with 18 points, five rebounds, eight blocks and even two assists.
He and Wayne Ellington got Miami off to a strong start before both teams’ offenses ground to a halt.
Ellington, who had played only 12 total minutes, got his first start of the year and drilled three three-pointers in the first six minutes.
Whiteside made two putbacks, hit two hook shots, and threw down an alley oop at the 5:19 mark of the first quarter to give himself 10 points and the Heat an early 24-10 lead.
The Spurs (6-4) cut Miami’s lead to as close as 34-30 in the first half after 3-for-16 lull for the Heat before Miami stretched it back to 50-42 at halftime. San Antonio only cut the lead down to five points once more for a total of 49 seconds.
The offense clicked once again in the second half. Ellington finished with a season-high 20 points, making 6 of 10 three-point attempts. Forward Justise Winslow added his own season best of 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting.
This story was originally published November 7, 2018 at 10:06 PM.