Miami Heat Proving They're Still a Threat and Other Sunday NBA Takeaways
The Miami Heat (5-2) must not be big fans of narratives, because they're shredding the one that was supposed to dominate a 2014-15 season sans LeBron James.
On the second night of a back-to-back, Miami trounced the Dallas Mavericks, 105-96, behind 30 points (13-of-19 shooting), five rebounds and four assists from Luol Deng.
According to NBA.com's Couper Moorhead, Deng's scoring outburst was among the most efficient of his career, and as Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick noted, it had been almost a year since Deng dropped 30 points:
But this game was about so much more than Deng's standout performance. Namely, it proved collective action can mitigate the effects of a monumental departure.
Not only did four players (Deng, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers) finish in double figures, but the Heat recorded 31 assists on 42 made field goals.
Seven games into the season, Miami is passing the ball at a much higher clip than it did four seasons ago, according to Moorhead:
Additionally, Wade's team-high 10 assists thrust him into the role of primary distributor, something that didn't happen often during the team's Eastern Conference title run last season, per Skolnick:
Head coach Erik Spoelstra was effusive in his praise of Wade's efforts both on and off the court following the victory, according to the team's official Twitter account:
And therein lies a fascinating dichotomy.
While purported juggernauts like the Dallas Mavericks try to establish identities after making waves in free agency, the Heat have quietly crafted one using a mix of in-house talent and overlooked additions like Deng, Josh McRoberts and Shabazz Napier.
That contrast was particularly evident when Deng punctuated possessions with open threes after brilliant ball reversals and extra passes made the Mavericks defense look silly.
Meanwhile, Dallas' prized signing, Chandler Parsons, finished with four points on 1-of-9 shooting two nights after scoring five points on 1-of-11 shooting against the Utah Jazz.
Not only has Miami's hot start been a testament to the selfless culture Spoelstra has crafted, but it speaks volumes about a veteran core that's embraced the movement with open arms.
And with the Eastern Conference power structure in flux, there's plenty of room for the Heat to wedge their way back into contention, unlikely as it may have seemed a few weeks ago.
Miami will look to make another statement and earn a third straight win when it hosts the Indiana Pacers at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night.
Around the Association
Defeated No More
The Los Angeles Lakers (1-5) knocked off the Charlotte Hornets, 107-92, to capture their first win of the season Sunday night.
Thanks to a well-rounded effort that included noteworthy performances from Jeremy Lin, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Carlos Boozer, the Lakers were able to erase a nine-point halftime deficit en route to a convincing triumph.
Boozer added 16 points (7-of-11 shooting) and five rebounds while Hill posted 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 30 minutes. Davis provided a major spark off the bench, scoring 10 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting to go with five boards.
The Philadelphia 76ers are now the NBA's only winless team.
Hayward Comes on Strong as Jazz Sink Pistons
All five Detroit Pistons starters finished in double figures, but 11 fourth-quarter points from Gordon Hayward propelled the Utah Jazz to their third win of the season.
In the 97-96 victory, Hayward finished with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting (2-of-6 from three) while Derrick Favors tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds. Enes Kanter double-doubled, as well, scoring 14 points to go with 11 boards.
Brandon Jennings led the Pistons with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting but missed a potential game-winning runner on the final possession of regulation.
Oklahoma City Snaps Sacramento's Winning Streak
After ripping off five straight wins, the Sacramento Kings fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-93, Sunday night.
In desperate need of a victory following three consecutive losses, the Thunder were paced by 22 points from Reggie Jackson and 14 apiece from Sebastian Telfair and Serge Ibaka. Jeremy Lamb added 17 points for the second game in a row, providing Oklahoma City with some much-needed stability on the wing.
While Sacramento dropped to 5-2 with the loss, Rudy Gay (game-high 23 points) provided the highlight of the night when he skied over Ish Smith for this ferocious slam:
Phoenix Slays the Final Undefeated
Every NBA team has now recorded a loss following the Phoenix Suns' 107-95 win against the 5-1 Golden State Warriors.
With Klay Thompson nursing a sprained right hand, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green shouldered the scoring load, dropping 28 and 22 points, respectively. However, Curry accounted for 10 turnovers (and 10 assists) on a night when the Warriors committed 26 as a team, leading to 30 Suns points.
Isaiah Thomas led Phoenix with 22 points (4-of-13 shooting, 13-of-14 from the free-throw line) while Goran Dragic and Gerald Green each scored 19 points to snap a two-game losing streak.
Portland Rises, Batum Falls
The Portland Trail Blazers displayed resolve on the second night of a back-to-back, defeating the Denver Nuggets, 116-100, at the Moda Center.
However, swingman Nicolas Batum was unable to go the distance after suffering an apparent ankle injury:
LaMarcus Aldridge led the charge with 28 points and nine rebounds while Wesley Matthews made another contract-year statement, dropping 21 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc.
Six Blazers finished in double figures, including all five starters.
An Update from North of the Border
The Toronto Raptors (6-1) crushed the Sixers (0-7) to such a substantial degree that Landry Fields was employed as the team's human victory cigar.
En route to capturing a 120-88 win, DeMar DeRozan (24 points, 8-of-12 shooting) hit this spectacular 360 layup:
And then James Johnson put Brandon Davies on a poster:
To cap things off, Drake showed up courtside donning some rather interesting spectacles:
"We interrupt this NFL Sunday to bring you Drake, dressed like Carlton Banks pic.twitter.com/hbXTSPuhSu
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) November 10, 2014"
