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So in this three-centric NBA era, how do you win a game going 0 for 9 on threes?
With a dominant display from Hassan Whiteside (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks), clutch late-game work from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, a 31-22 fourth quarter run,10 boards from Justise Winslow and a near triple double from Goran Dragic (12 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds).
All of that added up to a 98-95 Heat win in Charlotte tonight.
Playing off the bench for the second game in a row, Whiteside produced his third triple double of the season in just 27 minutes.
"Whatever amount of minutes coach gives me, I'm going to try to make an impact,' he said. "I'm going to go out with a chip on my shoulder. I feel I should have been in [the All-Star Game]. I really wanted to play in that."
Whiteside played in front of a bunch of family members, "a lot [of whom] haven't seen me play in the NBA. I know coaches on the other sideline are telling players to stay away from this guy."
Erik Spoelstra opted to continue starting Amare Stoudemire for reasons he declined to explain. But the experiment has worked, with Whiteside sparking the Heat to a road win for the second game in a row.
"There is no controversy; he's embracing what this team is about," Spoelstra said of Whiteside. "He protected the basket extremely well, doing it only the way he can. He's coming in with a great deal of energy but also focus to the details of our defense, building that trust with our teammates. I like the way he competed."
Dwyane Wade had 22, including a key layup in the final minute. And Bosh had 20, including a blow-by for a basket (and foul) to put Miami up two with 23 seconds left.
The Heat's streak of 323 games with a three-pointer was snapped. Miami is now 30-70 all time when it doesn't make a three, as AP's Tim Reynolds noted. As Ethan noted, the Heat is now 5-1 when it makes four threes or less.
So make it six wins in seven games for the Heat, which moved to 29-22 after going 8-8 in a stretch with 14 of 16 on the road.
More reaction:
### Spoelstra, on Dragic: "Goran is a gritty competitor. It just shows you his growth. It's not just about attacking and scoring. It's how do you make winning plays."
### Wade: "It really shows a lot about this team. Start of this season, we had a lot of home games and we weren't ready for it. The biggest thing is we stuck with each other, stuck with what our coaches wanted us to do. We're playing good, confident basketball right now. If we get stops, we have enough offensive firepower to get great looks.... Hassan was incredible down the stretch, protecting the basket."
### Bosh, on his late go-ahead basket: "I saw Marvin Williams was off me. Figured it was a good time to be aggressive.... I'm proud of the way this team has played, the perseverance after being gut-punched in the middle of the month. I think we came out all right. It's a huge statement for this team. We just have to continue to keep the momentum going. Once we settle in, we're pretty good. We're all collectively chipping in vocally. Nobody is taking it personal."
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Edit: More chits
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