(Photo Courtesy of the Miami Heat // Twitter)
The Miami Heat dropped their home preseason opener to the Milwaukee Bucks 103-93.
It’s preseason, so the results don’t matter much. What does matter is that Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic picked up right where they left off.
Powell tied a team-high with 18 points in 16 minutes, shooting 6-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He added two rebounds and one assist — a lob pass to Andrew Wiggins in transition in the first quarter.
Powell, 32, was the primary beneficiary of the Heat playing fast. The 11-year vet is a quick decision-maker and was incredibly confident rising up in the halfcourt with his quick and high release. Powell may have forced a couple of contested 3-pointers through two games, but he’s taken what the defense has given him within the flow of offense — exactly what you want to see.
Second-year big Kel’el Ware also had 18 points to go along with 13 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting in 23 minutes. Most of his scoring and rebounding came in the fourth quarter, when both teams were playing end-of-bench players.
Jovic scored nine points with eight rebounds and a team-high seven dimes in 23 minutes; Andre Wiggins had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes while Jaime Jaquez Jr. had nine points, four rebounds, and three dimes on 3-of-6 shooting.
Miami had multiple encouraging performances from its regulars, albeit against a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks squad. Collectively, the percentages weren’t good. But Jovic, Wiggins, Powell, Bam Adebayo (5 PTS, 7 REB), Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware combined to shoot 46 percent from the floor and 6-of-18 from distance.
What were your thoughts on Monday’s preseason home opener? Let us know in the comments!
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