Brooklyn Nets: 3 things to watch in another crucial game at Miami
By Phil Watson
3. Dragic thriving of late in super-sub role
Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic sat out more than two months after having surgery in mid-December on his right knee, after rest and treatment did not alleviate the problems he was having.
Prior to undergoing the procedure, Dragic had missed 12 of Miami’s first 26 games and has appeared in only 18 games thus far this season.
He may not go against the Nets, either, as he is questionable for Saturday night’s matchup with a left calf strain he picked up in a loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
He returned on Feb. 23, but played in back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday — the first time since Oct. 29-30 he had done so — and was stellar both in a dramatic win over the Golden State Warriors Wednesday and a tough loss to the Rockets the following night.
Dragic has come off the bench since his return and on Wednesday lit up the Warriors for 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting, hitting 4-of-7 from deep and making all nine of his free throw attempts before fouling out after just 20 minutes.
Against the Rockets, Dragic poured in 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes — his longest outing since Nov. 16 — hitting 3-of-6 from deep and going 8-for-8 at the foul line.
That is a big boost for an already very-productive Heat bench that has averaged 43.2 points per game this season, good for fifth in the NBA.
It sets up a potential showdown between backup point guards, as Spencer Dinwiddie just returned to action for the Brooklyn Nets after missing 14 games.
Dinwiddie has been the leader for the second-ranked bench unit in the league, averaging 17.2 points per game for a reserve group that has put up 47.5 points a night.
Dragic has averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game in his 18 appearances this season, a year after being named to his first career All-Star Game in his 10th NBA season.
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The 32-year-old put up 17.3 points, 4.8 dimes and 4.1 boards in 31.7 points a game in his 75 starts last season.